Jelen lopatar
- The fallow deer can jump 1.75 m high and 5 m long and reach speeds of up to 50 km/h.
- The fallow deer is famous for its extremely variable coat: there are common spotted, menil (pale with persistent spots), melanistic and white forms — more variation than in most deer.
- Male fallow deer do not drive females into herds or prevent them from leaving their range, unlike the red deer. Fallow deer groups may include up to 80 individuals, but their size depends on the region.
- Male Iranian fallow-deer (Dama mesopotamica) reach a length of over 2 m. Females of this deer weigh less — from 45 to 70 kg.
- The species’ natural range is now restricted to a small area in southern Turkey, but thanks to introductions since antiquity the fallow deer has become one of the most widely distributed deer in the world.
- In contrast to the Mesopotamian fallow-deer, the common fallow-deer's antlers may take on a spade-like shape. This feature distinguishes the common fallow-deer from other species.
- The body mass of male European fallow-deer varies from 65 to 110 kg, and that of females ranges from 45 to 70 kg.
- Males carry characteristic palmate (shovel-shaped) antlers that fully develop by 6–7 years and can reach 70 cm.
- During the rut males occupy “stands” and emit characteristic groans to attract females rather than roaming widely.
- Gestation lasts about 230 days and the female usually produces a single fawn.
Старост
European fallow deer typically live from 20 years and 3 months to 33 years and 9 months, although the maximum recorded lifespan is 27 years, with a theoretical lifespan ranging from 10 years and 7 months to 21 years and 1 month. The species reaches sexual maturity from 1 year and 4 months to 4 years of age; the young are born with their eyes open and begin walking immediately. During the embryonic stage, the fetus develops inside the mother and receives nourishment from her. The fawn stage follows, where the young deer lives with its mother, feeds on milk, and learns to find plants, lasting from 1 day to 6 months. Subsequently, the species enters the adult stage, which lasts from 2 to 20 years, during which time the deer can reproduce and lives independently or in groups.
Фенотип
The roe deer is a species whose fur is reddish with white spots in summer and gray and thicker in winter; both male and female possess four strong and long legs allowing for rapid running from danger, and the adult male has wide horns shaped like a shovel, necessary for fights and attracting females; the fawn is covered with white spots on its fur, which helps it to hide from predators.
Физиологија
The roe deer is a species characterized by significant variations in size; body height ranges from 17.8 cm to 4.5 m, and body length varies from 1.3 to 1.9 m. The body mass of an adult individual can fluctuate from 37.8 to 52.68 kg, however, in males the mass reaches from 46 to 93 kg, with body length also ranging from 1.4 to 1.9 m. At early stages of development, at the "Embryo" stage, body mass is from 0 to 4 g. Fawn body mass ranges from 3.5 to 12 kg and body length from 40 to 70 cm.
Станиште
The European fallow deer inhabits landscapes consisting of dry land, woodland, and grasslands and steppes; the species occupies biomes including flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass, temperate steppes with plentiful grass and few trees where rain occurs, taiga characterized by cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as spruce and pine, temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oak, birch, and maple trees, and areas with warm summers and mild winters. The climate varies across these habitats, including consistently wet conditions with frequent rainfall and high humidity, steppes with infrequent rain, warm summers with almost no rainfall, warm summers with abundant rainfall, and warm summers with mild winters; the species’ elevation range extends up to 1.5 kilometers above sea level.
Склониште
The roe deer inhabits dense thickets of shrubs or tall grass, without having a permanent or long-term shelter, and does not build a permanent refuge. For protection from predators, reproduction, and rest, the species uses berries and grass as materials for creating temporary shelters.
Географија
The European fallow deer inhabits the Palearctic biogeographical region and is found in several distinct ecosystems, including Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, coniferous forests of the Qilian Mountains, Balkan mixed forests, Baltic mixed forests, and coniferous and mixed forests of the Pyrenees.
Храна
The European fallow deer eats grass, leaves, young tree shoots, acorns, and berries, obtaining food by grazing on plants; its diet includes grass, leaves, shoots, acorns, berries, young shoots and sprouts, and nuts. The species’ daily food requirement ranges from 1.5 kilograms to 4 kilograms. Young fallow-deers consume milk. Wolves hunt the common fallow-deer.
Размножавање
European fallow deer and Mesopotamian fallow deer inhabit terrestrial environments, developing solely on land away from bodies of water, and their young develop within nests built on or near the ground; these nests are located directly on the surface of the ground. The species reproduces through live birth, with the young being born alive on land rather than hatching from eggs or larvae, and reproduction always occurs with fertilization and without generation changes. Gestation lasts 8 months, after which the female gives birth to one or two fawns, which she feeds and protects. The interval between reproductive events is 1 year, and the development of the embryo takes 7 months and 3 weeks. The male sometimes gathers groups of females and guards them. Maturity is reached from 1 year and 6 months to 3 years, and a litter consists of one or two young. Only the mother demonstrates parental care within the ground nest.