7 interesting facts about deer

Deer are hoofed ruminant mammals that, divide into two major groups. One is Capreolinae and, the other is Cervinae. It is a general fact that deer can’t survive in Antarctica but, it is fully doubtful why they don’t find it in Australia. There are many interesting and fun facts about deer.

Antler Growth

Almost all deer have antlers and, they grow as well. But reindeer don’t have. It is a biological structure that is unique to deer. Ruminant deer have horns that are slightly different from them. Antlers comprise bony extensions from the head with no covering of keratin as found in true horns. Adult buck antlers start to grow around the last of March or early April, and it grows at the rate of around a quarter-inch per day. Younger bucks begin growing their antlers a little later and slower than adults. Antlers’ growth is one of the interesting facts about deer.

Senses

One of the interesting facts about deer has amazing senses. They have eyes on the sides of their head, which give them a 310-degree view. This wide view makes it hard for deer to give attention to a single point. Plus, they have good night vision, which is useful also useful in the early morning and near twilight.

Besides good sight, they have a great sense of hearing also. They have a lot of muscles attached to their ears, which enable them to turn their ears in any direction, without moving their heads. You know they can also hear higher frequencies of sound than human beings.

Appearance of deer

One of the interesting facts about deer is their attractive appearance. The majority of deer are in light to medium brown color. You have heard and read many myths and folklore about white stags, you know they also exist in real life. A white stag occurs when a deer has suffered from a specific condition “leucism” which causes the hair and skin to lose their natural color. When white stags are spotted, it is often not publicized to prevent thieves. As they find them for getting thousands of pounds after selling them.

Social animals

You will find sometimes deer in a herd as they are social animals also and travel in groups. Mostly dominant male deer lead this herd, though with some species the herds are segregated by sex. Sometimes the female deer have separate herds. In other cases, a female herd is scrutinized over by a male herd. Some reindeer also travel in a herd that is comprised of around 100,000 members.

Diet

Deer are herbivores; they just eat natural vegetation. In the majority, a deer’s diet consists of grass, small shrubs, and leaves. However, they will feed from trash bins and in gardens if they cannot find the vegetation they need elsewhere. One of the interesting facts about deer is that they have one main stomach and three “false stomachs.” Like cows, they chew their feed to fully digest it.

They are the most dangerous creatures too

Many of you may be surprised to learn that deer kill more people each year than any other creatures like spiders, snakes, bears, and wolves. Due to their tendency to find their way in front of traffic, they kill more people annually than any other creature.

Extreme Weight Loss

Bucks lose up to 25 percent of their body weight from the constant seeking and chasing of does during the rutting season. This wanes them a lot in winter when they are very defenseless in extreme coldness and deep snow.