Deer

* Siberian Musk Deer
* Reindeer
* Elk
* Barbary Stags

**Deers** are animals that appear in the Legends of The Lion Guard universe. They live in the Tree of Life and Leopon Plains.

## Appearance

Siberian Musk Deers: Siberian Musk Deer although a dark brown is most common.  The head is generally lighter.  A pair of whitish stripes extends from the chin down the chest to the belly, while a scattering of lighter spots may be present on the back and sides.  Young are born intensely spotted on their upper body, with adult colouration reached gradually by 1.5 years of age.  The hind legs are much longer and more powerful than the front legs, which causes the back to slope, and is an adaptation to saltatorial (jumping) locomotion.

Elks: During the fall, elk grow a thicker coat of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Males, females and calves all grow thin neck manes; female and young Manchurian and Alaskan wapitis do not. Only the males have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each winter. Antlers are made of bone which can grow at a rate of 2.5 centimetres per day. By early summer, the heavy winter coat has been shed, and elk are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies. All elk have small and clearly defined rump patches with short tails.

Reindeers: In most populations, both sexes grow antlers; the reindeer is the only cervid species in which females grow them as well as males. All males shed them in Winter. Antlers begin to grow on male reindeer in March or April and on female reindeer in May or June. This process is called antlerogenesis. Antlers grow very quickly every year on the males. The color of the fur varies considerably, both between individuals and depending on season and subspecies. Northern populations, which usually are relatively small, are whiter, while southern populations, which typically are relatively large, are darker.

barbary Stags: The Barbary stag is smaller than the typical red deer. Its body is dark brown with some white spots on its flanks and back.

## Information

Siberian Musk Deers: Differ sharply from other deer. Long well-muscled hind legs; shorter, weaker, thin forelimbs; chest usually small; back highly arched back, so that the animal is much higher at the sacrum than at the shoulders. This body structure correlates with the animal's usual pattern of movement, a series of well coordinated jumps generated from the hind legs. Males weigh slightly less than females. Neither sex has antlers. The male has fine and extremely sharp canines protruding directly downward from the mouth. In older males, canine tips extend considerably below the lower jaw.

Elks: Adult elk usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating period known as the rut, mature bulls compete for the attentions of the cow elk and will try to defend females in their harem. Rival bulls challenge opponents by bellowing and by paralleling each other, walking back and forth. Bulls have a loud vocalization consisting of screams known as *bugling*, which can be heard for miles. Bugling is often associated with an adaptation to open environments such as parklands, meadows, and savannas, where sound can travel great distances.

Reindeers: A variety of predators prey heavily on reindeer, including over-hunting by people in some areas, which contributes to the decline of populations.

Barbary Stags: The Barbary stag is the only member of the deer family that is native to Africa. It thrives in dense, humid forested areas of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. It had initially been hunted to extinction in the latter, but specimens from the Tunisian population were reintroduced in the 1990s.

## Sociocultural characteristics

Musk deer, Reindeers and Elk live in snowy forested areas While Barbary Stags live in Forested areas. They are known to be hunted by Tigers, Simlodons, Polar Bears and Leopons.

## Notable Deer

* Kiril's Herd
	+ Kiril
	+ Zafirah
	+ Okonjo

## Gallery

KirilZafirahUnnamed male elkA cave painting of an elkOkonjoUnnamed Barbary stagUnnamed Barbary deer herd