π¦ Animal world π Mammals
The deer
π In short
The deer is a graceful, fast-running animal that lives in forests and meadows in many parts of the world. The male is famous for his branching antlers, like the branches of a tree: amazing antlers that fall off every year and then grow back!
π€© Did you know?
- The moose is the biggest deer: it can be 2.3 meters tall at the shoulder and weigh more than 800 kilograms.
- The smallest deer is the pudu, 30 centimeters tall and weighing about 9 kilograms.
- The reindeer is the only deer whose female also has antlers.
- Deer eat grass, leaves, tender twigs and mushrooms.
π Find out more
π Antlers that grow back
In spring new antlers grow, covered in skin as soft as velvet, and they grow very fast. Then the skin dries and falls off, leaving the antlers hard. In winter the antlers all fall off, and new ones grow the next year.
π What are antlers for?
Males use their antlers to compete and fight in the mating season, pushing each other with their heads. Females have no antlers in most kinds of deer.
π‘ The spotted fawn
A baby deer is born with white spots on its coat, which help it hide among the grass and tree shadows while its mother goes off to eat.
π― Sensitive ears and nose
A deer has big ears that turn in every direction and a strong nose, so it senses danger from far away and escapes with long, fast leaps.
πΈ More pictures
𧩠Test yourself
1 What happens to a deer's antlers every year?
2 What is the biggest kind of deer?
3 Which picture shows βThe deerβ?
π¦ Discover more
π· Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- Malaravan lingan Β· CC BY-SA 4.0
- USDA photo by Scott Bauer Β· Public domain
