Coloration varies from deep brown to yellowish or grayish brown with creamy or whitish markings.
Body is covered with short, soft hairs, except for the ears, which are sparsely haired.
Antlers are carried on long, bony hair-covered pedicles. These pedicles do not originate on the top of the skull as in other deer, but extend some distance down the face, visible externally as prominent ridges. Antlers are usually just spikes. The upper canine teeth of the males are elongated into tusks, which curve outward from the lips. Females have small bony knobs and tufts of hair where the antlers occur in the males.