Some species are especially light-colored. The body is stout, the limbs are slender, and the back is arched. Although the antlers vary in size, they lack a brow tine and are usually simple spikes in all species. The upper canines may be present or absent. The metatarsal gland is absent.
Females have four mammae.
Brocket deer are usually found in woodlands and forests from sea level to elevations of 5,000 meters. They are relatively sedentary, sometimes staying in an area only a few hundred meters in circumference. Diurnal, nocturnal, and crepuscular activity has been reported. If they are flushed, they frequently scamper a short distance and stop to look back at the pursuer. They do not seem to have the endurance of some other kinds of deer and can be overtaken and killed by a common dog.