These seven species are grouped into their own family, the Moschidae , within the Pecora and are the sister group to the Cervidae/Bovidae, so they’re more closely related to the ‘true’ deer and the cows, goats and sheep etc., than to the giraffes or the pronghorns that are also in this infraorder.
Their closest relatives include Mule Deer, Moose, Elk, and Caribou . The White-tailed Deer is present through Central America, as far south as Bolivia. They occur in most of the continental US and southern Canada.
What other animals are in the deer family?
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the family include white-tailed deer, mule deer such as black-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, caribou, fallow deer, roe deer , pudú and chital.
| Rangiferini Reindeer (Caribou) American red brocket White-tailed deer Mule deer Marsh deer Gray brocket Southern pudu Taruca | Roe deer Water deer | Alceini Moose or Eurasian elk |
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The giraffe and the okapi (Giraffidae), two distinctive African species, are closely related to deer .
What is a female deer called?
The adult male deer is called a stag and may have antlers growing from its head. The female deer is called a doe and a young deer is called a fawn.
Can female deer have antlers?
Both male and female reindeer grow antlers , while in most other deer species, only the males have antlers. ... A male’s antlers can be up to 51 inches long, and a female’s antlers can reach 20 inches. Unlike horns, antlers fall off and grow back larger each year.
Do deer stay together as a family?
Deers live in herds and there are two types of herds. The does (females) and the fawns herd together and then the bucks (males) form small herds of between 3-5. ... The buck herds split up during the mating season when they go off to find females. In the winter deer will stay together and share the same well worn paths.
What eats a deer?
Many animals eat deer, so deer are prey. Since deer do not eat animals, they are not predators. Predators that eat deer include the coyote, bobcat, cougar, wild dogs and humans .
What’s deer meat called?
Venison , (from Latin venatus, “to hunt”), the meat from any kind of deer; originally, the term referred to any kind of edible game. Venison resembles beef and mutton in texture, colour, and other general characteristics.
Where do deers sleep?
Deer sleep anywhere they bed and may do so singly or in groups. According to Charlie, they are creatures of habitat and they may bed in the same location day after day and month after month. Dominant bucks have favorite bedding spots, and they’ll even kick subordinate bucks out of a bed.
Where do deer live in the woods?
Deer often sleep close to the trunks of pine trees to maximize the cover and shelter they provide. Dense concentrations of pine trees and other coniferous trees are particularly popular with deer. Many deer may live in relatively close proximity amongst particularly dense forests of coniferous trees.
How many years do deers live?
How long they live: Most white-tailed deer live about 2 to 3 years . The maximum life span in the wild is 20 years, but few deer live past 10 years old.
Can a zebra and a giraffe mate?
Okapis look like a cross between zebras and giraffes. In fact, it is the only living relative to the giraffe. In addition to long necks, okapis have reddish bodies, black-and-white striped legs and 12-inch, purple, prehensile tongues. ... The okapi’s gestation period is between 14 and 15 months.
Are giraffe Bovids?
Giraffes and okapis are normally silent , but both have a range of vocalizations, including coughing, snorting, moaning, hissing, and whistling. Giraffes have been suggested to be able to communicate using infrasonic sounds like elephants and blue whales.
Is an elephant an ungulate?
Modern hoofed mammals comprise three groups: Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates (swine, camels, deer, and bovines); Perissodactyla, the odd-toed ungulates (horses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses); and Uranotheria, which includes the orders Proboscidea (elephants), Hyracoidea (hyraxes), and Sirenia (manatees and dugongs).
