Is the deer boy in “Nezha 2” a sika deer?

In the movie "Nezha: The Devil Boy Conquers the Dragon King" (hereinafter referred to as "Nezha 2"), there are so many characters and magical props that people are overwhelmed. In particular, the deer boy and the deer antler bow in his hand are eye-catching.

Deer have always been synonymous with agility and elegance in nature. They are strong and agile, and this characteristic is vividly displayed in the image of the deer boy. The deer boy in the film is light and his movements are smooth and natural, just like the deer running and jumping in the mountains and forests in real life. Deer not only have keen hearing and vision, but also strong limbs, which enable them to quickly detect danger and avoid natural enemies in complex environments. The deer boy seems to have inherited this "talent" and has an extraordinary perception of changes in the surrounding environment, and can always respond quickly at critical moments.

In myths, deer are often seen as auspicious creatures or as closely connected to gods. Legend has it that a deer that lives for a thousand years becomes a dark deer, and one that lives for two thousand years becomes a black deer, so deer are immortal animals that represent longevity. The "old man of longevity" Nan Ji Xian Weng chose a deer as his mount. In the movie "Nezha 2", the deer boy is both Nan Ji Xian Weng's disciple and his mount. The word "deer" has the same pronunciation as the word "lu" in the three lucky stars "fu, lu, shou", so in some pattern combinations, deer are often used to represent longevity and prosperity. Deer also symbolize national prosperity.

From the perspective of antler taxonomy, the antlers of Cervidae have rich and diverse shapes, which is also one of their highly recognizable features. Different types of deer have completely different antler shapes, number of forks, and growth patterns. Antlers can be divided into two types based on their appearance and forks. One type is palmate antlers, which are wide and flat, shaped like a palm, such as the antlers of moose, giant-horned deer, and tiān (tiān) deer; the other type is branched antlers, which are cylindrical, like branches, like the antlers of sika deer, elk, red deer and many other deer. In the survival of deer, antlers of various shapes play an important role. In addition to being used for courtship displays, they can also be used as weapons.

Elk in Dafeng Elk National Nature Reserve, Jiangsu Province (Photo source: Xinhua News Agency)

So, is the deer boy's antler bow a deer antler? It can be inferred that the deer boy's bow is the deer antler growing on his head. There are three reasons: first, deer antlers are weapons used by deer when fighting, and they grow and fall off every year, so they are easy to obtain; second, in terms of appearance, the deer antler bow is very similar to the deer antler, both of which are cylindrical and multi-branched branches; finally, the lower-level bows have short branches and fewer branches, while the higher-level bows are large and have more branches, which is consistent with the phenomenon that deer antlers grow longer and have more branches as they age.

Sika deer in Xiandongshan Sika Deer Nature Reserve (Photo source: Xinhua News Agency)

In ancient New Year paintings, the "old man of longevity" Nanji Xianweng is often accompanied by a sika deer. Does this mean that Nanji Xianweng's deer boy is a sika deer? Are deer antler bows made from the antlers of sika deer?

In biological classification, antlers are an important basis for the classification of deer. Judging from the appearance of the two types of antler bows that appeared in the movie "Nezha 2", first of all, the antler branches of the antlers face different directions. Each branch of the antler bow faces backwards, while the antler tip of the sika deer faces forward. The antler bow is consistent with the characteristics of the elk antlers. Secondly, the branching characteristics of the antler bow are that there are two main branches and then small branches, which coincides with the branching characteristics of the elk. Of course, the antler bow is an artistically processed shape, which does not completely overlap with the existing antlers, so it is not the antler of a certain deer. It is speculated that the design inspiration for the deer boy in the movie comes from the elk.

The curve of Lu Tong's antler bow draws on the natural and smooth curved shape of deer antlers. This unique design not only gives the bow a different aesthetic, but is also very sophisticated in terms of mechanical principles. From the material point of view, deer antlers are made of bone, rich in a variety of minerals and organic matter, and have a certain toughness and strength. If Lu Tong's bow and arrow are made of deer antler material, then it has the characteristics of both toughness and elasticity. When the arrow is shot, the bow body can rebound quickly, providing a strong thrust for the arrow, allowing the arrow to remain stable and fast during flight.

At present, the World Deer Exhibition in the Nanhai Zi Elk Park Museum in Beijing displays the antlers of thousands of different species of deer. You may wish to go to the site to compare them one by one, learn about the relevant knowledge about deer antlers, and make your own judgment.

(The author Zhong Zhenyu is the deputy director of the Beijing Biodiversity Conservation Research Center)