How much does deer weigh?
You must have heard that deer are “ruminant animals”. Ruminant animals are the herbivorous mammals and their stomach is modified in such a way that they can chew the ingested food later. They have a paunch also known as rumen that serves as the main site for fermentation of ingested food via microbial actions.
These are even-toed ungulates also known as hoofed animals. Classified into two main groups:
· Cervinae
· Capreolinae
The Cervinae group includes the elk, the red deer, the chital, the fallow deer, and the muntjac. The Capreolinae group includes the moose, the mule deer, the roe deer, and the reindeer.
It is important to be familiar with different kinds and types of deer before knowing how much does a deer weigh? Based on gender, age, and kind of species the weight of the deer depends. They live in a variety of environments, ranging from the tropical rainforest to the tundra region. They live in forests and covered areas for inhabitants and shelter for defense and also stay in open areas in the form of herds because open areas allow them to find and eat different types of herbs, weeds, and grasses. The majority of large deer species prefer mountain areas mixed with coniferous forest, savanna grassland to get a different variety of grass and herbs, tropical dry forests, and temperate region mixed deciduous forest. If the deer get access to cropland and grassland then it is very beneficial for deer too. And the bushes and covered areas help the species to increase population and compete for life.
Types of Deer:
Red deer: Red Deer is the 4th largest species of deer after elk, moose, and sambar deer species. Moreover, red deer is one of the populated species. An adult red deer weighs about 200kg and it is about 1.2 meters tall and from shoulders, it is about 4 feet.
Elk: Elk species is the second largest species after moose. Not only this but also it is one of the largest mammals in Eastern Asia and North America. An adult male elk is about 320 to 330kgs in weight and a female elk weighs about 220 to 240kgs in weight. It is about 1.5 m tall and 5 feet wide from shoulders.
Moose: Among all the species of deer, moose is considered to be the largest deer. Not only this but also the tallest mammals in North America. A mature male moose is 380 to 700 kg in weight also knowns as a bull. A mature female Moose is about 200 to 360 kg in weight and also knowns as a cow. It is 2.4 to 3.2 m in length and 1.4 to 2.1 m at shoulders.
Samber deer: Sambar deer is the 3rd largest species of deer. The mass of an adult sambar deer is 180kg. The males look larger than the females. Sambar deer is about 2m in length.
White-tailed deer: White-tailed deer are beautiful deer that weigh about 36 to 113 kg and they can live up to 15 years. The length of white-tailed deer is 95 to 220 cm and they are 81 to 91cm at shoulders.
Reindeer: Reindeer is a species of deer including both migratory and sedentary populations. They can run at the speed of 80km/h and an adult male reindeer weighs about 160 to 180kgs and an adult female reindeer weighs about 80 to 120kgs. It can be 85 to 150cm at the shoulders.
Chital: They are famous because of the white spots on their body. This species has an average-sized body that weighs about 36kgs. An adult chital male can be up to 90cm at shoulders and on the other hand, an adult female can be 70cm at shoulders.
Fallow deer: Fallow deer is a native animal to Europe and the antlers of this species are said to be less wide than other species and less branched too. An adult fallow deer weighs about 29 to 100Kgs. The length of fallow deer is about 130 to 160 cm and at shoulders, it is about 76 to 94cm.
Mule: The mule deer is a species that is native to western North America and because of the similarity of its ears with that of a mule, this species is termed as mule deer. An adult male of this species weighs about 55 to 150kgs and an adult female weighs about 43 to 90kgs. The height of mule deer is about 126 to 168cm for males and 125 to 156 cm for females. Shoulder height ranges from 80 to 106cm.
And similarly, there are so many other species of deer that vary in their size and weight.
Characteristics:
The deer have long, sturdy legs that help deer to run very fast, this helps to protect themselves and compete for life with predators. Deer have a wide range of different physical features. In deer species, except for reindeer, only the male deer have antlers. Deer are amazing swimmers and jumpers. They have a special feature that their stomach is four-chambered, and they are ruminant so they as cud-chewer. The deer have a special gland on the face near its eyes, this facial gland helps to produce a very strong sweet-smelling pheromone that helps them mark their home location and range. They do not have a gall bladder with their liver. They have a special layer of tissues in their eyes known as tapetum lucidum. This special layer helps the see at night.
Conclusion:
The article has detailed explanation on how much does a deer weigh? The weight, height, and shoulder width varies with the type of species. Not only this but also we get to know that the weight of female deer is different and usually less than that of male deer. And usually less in height and width too. The deer have been categorized into two main groups and also they have sub-groups. Not only this we also came to know about some characteristics that have been explained in the article.
