Red Deer

Cervus elaphus

### Regions

United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia

## Habitat

### Water Area

360 m² +45 m²/ea. add'l
0 m²

### Temperature

0 m²
‒10‒38 ℃

## Social

### Fem. Bachelor

3‒9 (up to 1 male, up to 8 females)
3‒10
3‒15

### Sterility

4 years
Death

### Interbirth

8 months
12 months

## Taxonomy

### Order

Mammalia
Artiodactyla

### Genus

Cervidae
Cervus

The **Red Deer** (*Cervus elaphus*) is a large palearctic ungulate featured in the Standard Edition of *Planet Zoo.* They were added in the 1.11.2 Update.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** Unknown

The red deer (or Cervus elaphus) is a widespread species of ungulate living throughout the temperate grasslands, woodlands and scrublands of Europe, Asia and parts of Northern Africa. Red deer have red-brown fur with a paler underside. They have large, pointed ears, large eyes and a long snout. The species is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females and grow wide antlers with multiple branches. There are several subspecies of red deer, and size varies depending on the region and environmental conditions. Male red deer are called stags, and can grow between 1.7m and 2.5m (5.6ft and 8.3ft) long, with a height of 1.07m to 1.37m (3.5ft to 4.5ft) at the shoulder. Female red deer, called hinds, can achieve a body length of 1.6m to 2.1m (5.3ft to 6.9ft) and grow 0.95m to 1.22m (3.1ft to 4ft) tall at the shoulder. Stags are much heavier than hinds, weighing 90kg to 240kg (198lb to 528lb) and 60kg to 170kg (132lb to 374lb) comparatively.

Red deer are not endangered and are a species of least concern. There are even invasive populations that have been intentionally released as game animals in New Zealand, Australia and South America. The red deer is both hunted and commercially farmed for its meat, fur and antlers.

### Social

Red deer live in different group compositions, out of which loose herds of up to 400 animals can form, depending on food availability and time of year. Interrelated females and their offspring form bonded groups, while young males live in bachelor groups. Older males tend to be solitary and acquire a harem during breeding season.

### Reproduction

The mating system of red deer can vary depending on environmental conditions and population density. The most common mating strategy is that of territorial stags defending harems of females. Here, a male will defend territories and vocalise to attract females and fend off challenging males. He will aggressively defend female family groups moving through his territory, which may go as far as fighting and clashing antlers with rival stags. The stag will mate with all mature and receptive females in his harem. Typically, a dominant male is able to defend around six receptive females. After the mating season, he leaves the harem while the female group remains together.

A hind will be pregnant for 240 to 262 days before giving birth to one fawn, though occasionally twins occur. She will temporarily leave the group to give birth alone, hiding her offspring in the undergrowth and only returning to feed it. After a period of 16 days, both will rejoin the herd. Fawns begin eating grasses from this point on and weaning is complete at 2 months of age.

Fawns are independent at 1 year old and reach sexual maturity at 16 months. Young hinds remain with their mother’s groups and are likely to mate for the first time when they are 2 years old, while stags are unlikely to be strong enough to secure access to a harem until their antlers are fully developed at 4 or 5 years old. They form bachelor herds of 4 to 10 stags, learning dominance displays and how to fight and leave the groups to live solitarily when they are old enough.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Grazing Ball Feeder · Hanging Grazer Feeder · Large Barrel Feeder · Scarecrow Feeder
Grab Ball · Herb Scent Marker · Large Ball · Large Snow Ball · Rubber Duck · Rubbing Pillar · Scratching Tree Scots Pine · Scratching Tree Tamarind · Skittle · Snowman Skittle

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* The heaviest red deer ever recorded weighed 497kg.
* Male red deer make a loud roar known as a ‘bugle’ to aid in the cohesion of their harem and to signal to rival males.
* The red deer's hooves are soft at birth, so fawns rarely walk for the first 16 days of their lives until they harden.
* Red deer fawns are born with spots for camouflage, but lose their spots by the time they are 5 months old.
* Red deer shed and regrow their antlers every year; while they are growing, they are covered in velvet which provides blood and nutrients to the growing bones.

### Other Trivia

* The Red Deer is the second animal to be added to the base game after release, the first being the Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur.

## Gallery

Official reveal screenshot.Leucistic Red Deer