Description ⁶

The roe deer is a relatively small deer, with a body length of 95–135 cm (3.1–4.4 ft), a shoulder height of 65–75 cm (2.1–2.5 ft), and a weight of 15–35 kg (33–77 lb). Bucks in good conditions develop antlers up to 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long with two or three, rarely even four, points. When the male's antlers begin to regrow, they are covered in a thin layer of velvet-like fur which disappears later on after the hair's blood supply is lost. Males may speed up the process by rubbing their antlers on trees, so that their antlers are hard and stiff for the duels during the mating season. Unlike most cervids, roe deer begin regrowing antlers almost immediately after they are shed.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Aleksandar, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Aleksandar
2. (c) James Lindsey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capreolus.capreolus.tracks.jpg
3. (c) GunnerPoulsen~commonswiki, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R%C3%A5dyrspor.jpg
4. (c) James Lindsey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capreolus.capreolus.tracks.on.snow.jpg
5. anonymous, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roe_deer_droppings.jpg
6. Adapted by Aleksandar from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_deer

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• NBN Atlas
• VertNet

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