Tundra Deer

Tundra Deer (Cervi Tundra) is a species of deer that live in the southeast steppe and tundra area of the DSRRed. They feast on berries sprouting from Evergreen trees and bugs in winter, while eating Ashnaught during the summer months. They are known for frequently residing in the Tundra, and they alliterate well with the Twilight Deer.
== Appearance ==
The Tundra Deer normally has a whitish-red coat, usually seen as pink with white spots. During the spring, they usually shed their "outer" coat, dimming the white spots and fully embracing their pink pigmented coat. Males are usually easily spotted standing taller than does, standing at around 3 - 4.5 sextants tall, while females are about 2 - 3.2 sextants tall. Antlers are sharp and the overall phenotype averages to be a bit taller than their northern cousins.
== Reproduction ==
Mid-February to June marks the mating season of the Tundra Deer, who usually migrate in packs of 3-5 families of deer. Often several males will fight against each other to win over the most prized female in an adjacent pack, keeping genetic diversity alive. Males become sexually mature around the age of 6, with females maturing a tad earlier at ~5 years of age. This is marked with the stopping of the growth of both male and female antlers, usually in spring or winter. A parental group may have up to 3 rounds of children, before "retiring" at around 10-12 years old.
== Behavior ==
Over the years, Tundra Deer have learned to take part of the core of an Ashnaught with their durable antlers and use it to keep themselves moderately warm with their pack while sequestering in caves during dark winter nights. Ashnaught cores together can usually last them from October to mid-February, their stay period in the southeast tundra. They also use their other antler as a shish-kebab weapon for berries, before eating with their pack their gains for the day. Mothers often show love via licking ticks away from the young, while mates do it to each other when alone (intermission between leaving and joining packs.) A pack may last many generations before fading out. It is thought that humans domesticated the Ashnaught with the help of tundra deer when we were still primitive, unintelligent beings/
== Habitat and Distribution ==
Tundra Deer are almost always found in the south end of the DSRRed, either in the marshes or the tundra and steppe. They migrate during February to the marshlands, before heading back in late September or early October. They can survive cold temperatures fairly well with their coat, but the Ashnaught is vital for sight and warmth as to survive without being gaunt on the other side of winter. Many paintings have been done of their shimmering pink coat overlooking the fading sun, an iconic image in Red, along with its cousin's twilight reddish coat. Their habitat is less suitable to human settlement and development, and as such, humans are less of a threat to their survival than to their cousin, the Twilight Deer.
Category:Flora and Fauna