The Mediterranean Sea is one of the oldest seas in the world, with hot and dry summers and warm and humid winters, and a unique ecological environment that nurtures unique creatures. Wild mule deer live in the woods of the Mediterranean coast in southern Europe, and they always travel in pairs, strolling through the forest and leisurely grazing on the leaves.
At this time, a male deer appeared, breaking the silence. It is the breeding season, and the male deer in the deer herd must drive the suddenly appearing male deer out of their territory and prevent the other party from competing for the mating rights of the female deer.
The two males chased after each other, then fought, using the horns on their heads to push each other. In the end, the male deer defeated the "intruder" and returned to the deer herd triumphantly, showing off his victory to the female deer.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >01 horns resemble moose, posture like sika deer, and have curved black stripes on both sides of the butt</h1>
Judging from the appearance of the deer, it is a docile deer, and in the sunlit woods, it is as beautiful as the spirits in the mountain forest.
The deer are small and medium-sized deer, and the male has a pair of large horns on his head, showing a flat palm shape, similar to the "cactus-like" antlers of the moose, always with a feeling of fairy wind bone.
The coat color of the deer is not the same, even in the same deer herd, it is possible to see different colors of the deer. They wear "clothes" of different colors, which reflects their personality.
There are brownish-yellow, black, and white variants of the deer, most commonly brownish-yellow. The deer's summer coat is brownish yellow with white spots; the winter coat is brownish gray, the lower abdomen is white, and the markings on the rump are clearly outlined from white and black.
On the left is a deer, on the right is a sika deer
But its body shape is very similar to that of a sika deer, the size is similar, and the body is also covered with beautiful spots, so it is often mistaken for a sika deer. Although very similar, it is not difficult to distinguish between the two, and the difference can be seen from three points.
First, look at the antlers. The antlers of the deer are palmar horns, like moose, forming connected bone plates; while sika deer are branch-like horns, like branches, which are opened one by one.
Second, look at the buttocks. Female deer do not grow horns, so it depends on the buttocks to distinguish. The tail of the deer is black, a little longer than the sika deer, and most notably, on each side of the deer's butt, there is a curved black stripe, which looks like a heart-shaped middle arrow through, which is very stylish; while the sides of the sika deer's ass, there are only a few black stripes, which are not obvious.
Third, listen to the sound. Anyone who knows it knows that the call of the deer is low and thick, and the voice is short and powerful; the call of the sika deer is high-pitched and loud, and the voice is long and round. There is a clear difference in the sound of the two.
Many people have seen the deer and said that it is a beautiful deer, especially when moving in the woods, it has its own fairy spirit!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >02 likes to live in groups and is afraid of loneliness, and the size of the deer herd will change according to the seasons</h1>
The deer are quite adaptable to the environment, can live in a variety of environments such as forests, grasslands, shrublands, etc., generally inhabiting mixed woodlands and open grasslands.
Native to the area around the Mediterranean In Europe, the deer did not have a natural distribution in China, but a group of deer were introduced from abroad and, after breeding, can be found in many zoos.
Wild moose are active and foraging during the day and night, but are more frequent in the morning and afternoon and are good at running. It mainly feeds on grass, young shoots, leaves, acorns and sugar beet crops.
The moose is a chronic child, even in the face of its favorite food, it will eat slowly, chew slowly, and move gracefully.
Like to live in groups, afraid of loneliness, gregarious active in the forest, whether to forage, or wander in the forest, or to drink water, will accompany each other.
The area where they live also overlaps with other herds of deer, with most of the moose living in two distinct colonies, with adult females with fawns within one year of age, and young males aged three to five on their own in small herds, with the bucks living alone.
The size of the deer herd will vary depending on the season, and during the breeding period, the male moose will expand the territory and the female will join the herd. When the number is large, a deer herd can reach 150 heads.
In a herd of deer, the male deer is the leader, leading their own "team" to live and reproduce together, while the female deer is led.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >03 rub each other's mouths to express friendship, there is also a naughty side, will stand upright on both feet "dance"</h1>
The deer has elegant movements, flexible limbs, docile personality, and is very adaptable to group life. Also because we live in places where food is abundant, there will be no contradictions or competitions for food.
But the deer also has a naughty side, with its flexible body and limbs, it can stand upright on both feet and "dance".
According to the Daily Mail, in the New Forest area of Hampshire, England, two deer were found, with their hind limbs upright, facing the face, and their front hooves intertwined, as if they were jumping waltzes.
I saw that the two deer were standing on their hind limbs, their front hooves sometimes held together, sometimes separated, and the range of movements was not large, and they were playing intimately. You touch me, I push you, and kiss each other's foreheads intimately, looking at them like they are dancing a "waltz" dance.
In fact, the daily mode of getting along with the deer is still more friendly, they will gently use the horns on their heads to touch each other and exchange feelings; they will also rub each other affectionately with their mouths to express friendship. Such a moose is so cute!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >04 Male deer court by chirping, and female deer choose their spouses without looking at their appearance and listening to sounds</h1>
In our impression, during the breeding period, males compete with each other, always using the horns on the top of their heads to defeat each other. The moose, on the other hand, is different.
When male deer compete with their peers for mating rights, they use the horns on their heads to defeat or drive away competitors. But in terms of courtship, the main thing is to look at "voice skills".
They have a "courtship field" where, within a certain range, multiple male deer frequently chirp to attract female deer. A typical "courtship field" will have 10-20 bucks, sometimes as many as 50.
Don't think that it is so easy for deer to court, they do not eat or drink, but also maintain a high frequency of chirping, extremely energy-consuming, it is not a simple thing. In extreme cases, excellent individual males can reach a frequency of about 3,000 honking per hour.
Why do you compete for courtship through sound? It turns out that the female deer can judge the physical state of the deer through the sound of each male deer's chirping, whether it is full of strength or poor physical fitness. Then, find your own "Ruyi Langjun".
For male deer, if you want to get the favor of female deer, you must not only maintain a good voice, but also have to stick to it, and you can't "break the work" halfway. Therefore, having a good voice is the last word.
The deer give birth to a litter per litter, and the newborn little deer has a kind of "new arrival" ignorance, with big wet eyes, which is pitiful.
The fawn, which has been born for a long time, can hardly leave the doe, always likes to hide in the bushes, and remains wary of its surroundings and a little afraid. The doe will also take good care of the fawn, taking it to play in the woods and teaching it survival experience.
At 18 months of age, the fawn reaches sexual maturity, and the grown male deer can challenge other mature males, while the female moose also chooses her own mate.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
The deer is one of the most beloved deer in the world, docile and elegant, like elves living in the forest. The way the female deer chooses a mate is quite peculiar, not looking at the appearance, just by listening to the sound, it decides who to "marry". In addition to the competition during the breeding period and the occasional fight, the bucks are usually quite united and friendly.
Snow Spirit Valley Animal Lab/Production
References: Daily Mail, Life Science Network, Knowledge is Power, Science Bulletin