A deer with plum blossoms on its face may not necessarily be a sika deer

When we talk about "biological invasion", the first thing that comes to our mind is inevitably those examples of people introducing organisms intentionally or unintentionally, which have caused a series of ecological disasters. In fact, there are examples of artificial introduction of organisms since ancient times, and some organisms have adapted to the local ecological environment and become a very harmonious part of the local ecosystem. The tiān deer (Dama dama) is a typical example of this.

Fallen deer recolonize Europe

Today, fallow deer are one of the most common deer species in Europe. However, for a long period of history, fallow deer did not live here. Although fossil evidence shows that fallow deer were once widely distributed throughout Europe, during the last ice age, due to environmental changes, the distribution area of ​​fallow deer retreated to Mesopotamia. Their weak connection with Europe only occurred in some areas along the Mediterranean coast.

Like most wild deer, fallow deer were once hunted in the early development of civilizations in the Mesopotamian and Mediterranean regions. Descriptions of this deer have been repeatedly found in many cave paintings in the region. With the rise of agricultural civilization and the emergence of domesticated animals, wild animals such as deer have lost their prominent status as "the main source of food", but deer hunting is still regarded as a sport that embodies courage and skill and has been preserved. Moreover, as the cost of hunting increases, deer hunting has gradually evolved into a form of entertainment exclusively enjoyed by the nobility, and has been deeply branded with class colors.

In the martial ancient Roman Empire, hunting was highly respected because it combined entertainment with military training. The military commanders of the empire especially preferred hunting deer, because deer are highly alert and run fast, and being able to hunt deer is considered a manifestation of personal military ability. In order to meet the hunting needs of officers stationed in various parts of the empire, a large number of deer parks and hunting grounds were built within the empire, and fallow deer were brought back to the heart of Europe after a long absence due to this demand.

A typical example of the Romans bringing fallow deer back to the heartland of Europe occurred in Britain. In 43 AD, the Roman Emperor Claudius I led his army to invade Britain and established it as a province of the empire. Fallow deer raised for hunting were soon transported here - a large deer park appeared in the Roman Palace of Fishbourne in southern England.

Of course, ancient Rome eventually declined, and the deer parks across Europe fell into a state of neglect and desolation, with many fallow deer escaping from the deer parks and developing into large wild populations. Some people believe that the wild fallow deer active in Britain today originally escaped from the Fishbourne Roman Palace - even if this is not the case, the Normans who conquered Britain a few hundred years later in the early 11th century would have brought fallow deer to Britain again for the same hunting needs.

The upper class's preference for hunting deer led to the spread of fallow deer reaching its peak with the development of geographical discoveries and overseas colonialism. With its strong adaptability, this deer quickly adapted to different environments in various places. Today, fallow deer have taken root in many areas of Australia, North and South America, and Africa, and modern hunting sports and modern deer farming prevalent in Western countries also regard fallow deer as a very important target deer species.

Sika deer are not the only ones with plum blossoms

The reason why fallow deer are so popular among hunting enthusiasts is definitely one of the reasons why they are so popular among hunting enthusiasts.

Out of the need to hide themselves, most deer will have various patterns and colors as protective colors when they are young and have limited mobility, and most of them will fade after they become adults. But a few deer still have patterns until they become adults, such as the familiar sika deer (Cervus nippon) and fallow deer.

This has also caused confusion in our understanding to a certain extent. Many friends can't tell the difference between fallow deer and sika deer after seeing them in the zoo. In fact, the difference in size can be clearly seen at a glance: fallow deer is a relatively small deer. Its male body length is 140-160 cm, shoulder height is 90-100 cm, and weight is 55-70 kg; female fallow deer are slightly smaller, with a body length of 130-150 cm, shoulder height of 75-85 cm, and weight of 40-45 kg. Sika deer are much larger and weigh nearly twice as much as fallow deer.

Aside from the size, the two also have significant differences in appearance: the top of the antlers of the fallow deer are palm-shaped, while the antlers of the sika deer are symmetrical stick-shaped. In winter when the antlers fall off, or when facing a female deer without antlers, you can distinguish them by the color of their tails and skin: the tail of the fallow deer is longer, and there are two black hairs on its buttocks, like a thick black bracket covering the tail, while the color of the buttocks of the sika deer is mainly black on the top and white on the bottom, and the bottom of the black edges on both sides of the white part expand slightly outward, like the Chinese character "几".

The "rapper" among the deer

Although male fallow deer are small in size, their horns are quite large. Generally speaking, such secondary sexual characteristics are closely related to the competition for reproductive rights, but for fallow deer, the first tool to win a mate is probably not the antlers, but the high-pitched voice of the male deer.

The call of the fallow deer comes from the species calendar 00:0000:25. Unlike other deer, the process of courtship of fallow deer is called "group courtship performance". In the courtship area, many male fallow deer call frequently, and in extreme cases, they can call up to 3,000 times per hour. These calls are by no means "random shouting". Whether it is a female deer looking for a suitable husband nearby or a male deer in a competitive state, these sounds can be used to judge the physical condition of the deer.

During the long courtship season, male deer do not eat or drink, but have to keep calling at a high frequency, which inevitably makes them physically and mentally exhausted. When young challengers hear these signals, they often take the initiative to attack and try to drive them away. Therefore, for male fallow deer to have a chance to mate, they must not only maintain a good voice, but also insist on "not showing timidity".

singer's persian relative

Compared to the somewhat disproportionately large antlers of male fallow deer, its relative, the Persian fallow deer, has more normal antlers due to its slightly larger body size. The taxonomy of the Persian fallow deer and the fallow deer has long been controversial, and the debate over whether they are subspecies or closely related species continues to this day.

Before the 1950s, the Persian fallow deer was believed to be extinct until people rediscovered their traces in Khuzestan Province, Iran in 1956. As the former distribution country of the Persian fallow deer, Israel has always hoped to obtain Persian fallow deer from Iran for release into the wild. After the Islamic Revolution broke out in Iran, Israel urgently transported a batch of Persian fallow deer back to the country. The release into the wild has begun, but the population size of the Persian fallow deer is only about 1,000.

Please don't feed them

In the early 1950s, China and its then “friendly countries” initiated a large-scale international exchange of animals, led by the Beijing Zoo. China exchanged a batch of fallow deer from the then East Germany, and after decades of breeding, they now appear in many Chinese zoos.

Unfortunately, domestic news about fallow deer is always accompanied by heartbreaking news. In 2014 and 2015, news broke out in Xiamen and Shanghai Zoos about fallow deer swallowing plastic bags, towels and other items and causing their deaths. In particular, the three fallow deer that died in Shanghai Zoo - as much as 19 kilograms of debris were removed from their stomachs!

Fallen deer are naturally curious and can easily swallow debris such as plastic bags. However, as ruminants, their four stomach structures are very different. After accidentally ingesting plastic bags, they may not be able to spit out these foreign objects or excrete them through the intestines. These foreign objects accumulate over time and become lumps, making it impossible for fallow deer to eat normally, resulting in their death.

Fallen deer have been with humans for thousands of years. For such old friends, we should learn to quietly appreciate their beauty. When admiring their beauty in the wild, we should keep a certain distance and try not to disturb their normal lives; and when facing fallow deer in captivity in zoos, we should not expose them to unnecessary threats - please do not feed the animals in the zoo.

This article comes from the species calendar author @A Man Wandering.