Unusual Kinds Of Deer

The Fallow deer is about the same size as the Chital deer, but with entirely different antlers. The horn is pal-mated at its end, which means that the horn becomes broad and flattened, similar to the palm of the hand. From this palm, a number of tines extend.

The Fallow deer is spotted, but in winter most of these spots are lost. This animal originally came from the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Spain, and northern Africa. It is believed in Africa it was introduced many hundreds of years ago, but was never native, nor is it still found there today.

The Fallow deer has been introduced also into certain parts of Europe. It is a hardy animal and is one of the most common found in parks.

The semi-domesticated Fallow deer vary a great deal in color. The original wild Fallow deer was yellowish brown, darker on the head and neck, and marked by a number of white spots, with white underparts.

In the semi-domestic state there is a dark brown variety which shows little or no spotting, albinistic, or white specimens of this variety of deer are not uncommon. In parks these deer may be found exhibiting every gradation in color from black to white.

The Muntjac, or Barking deer, is a small Asiatic deer quite different from any other variety of deer. They range over a wide area of Asia, from central China through Malaya to Sumatra, and nearby. These small animals are uniformly colored, generally reddish, but some are purplish brown or orange-brown.

Their call sounds very much like a dog's bark, and from this they get their popular name, Barking deer.

In western China there is another deer closely related to the Muntjac. It is called the Tufted Deer and while the pedicles are long, the antlers themselves are very short. This animal is grayish black in color.

Yes, the Caribou is a member of the deer family and the Reindeer is a deer -- and they are one and the same. throughout the north land there is a large deer well adapted to the ice, snow, and cold of its home. This animal is called the the Reindeer in Europe and Asia, and the Caribou in North America.

For many years in some parts of the world, the Reindeer has been domesticated where it is trained to draw sleds and do other service for man. The flesh is eaten, the skin makes clothing, and the sinews make strong thread.

The Reindeer is also milked as cows are milked in other countries. Without the reindeer, some indigenous peoples would have difficulty in living.

The native peoples of northern Alaska were dependent on the wild Caribou for their living, but the wild Caribou became scarcer and food became a problem, so the United States Government imported reindeer from other parts of the world. These were established and now range freely and are also raised.

The Caribou and Reindeer have long hair to protect them from the cold, and broad hoofs to keep them from sinking into the snow. Cattle or horses would soon starve to death in that environment, but these deer dig down through the snow and find the lichens and Reindeer moss upon which they thrive.

In the United States Caribou have become nearly extinct, but they still exist in large numbers in the northern barren grounds of the continent.

The Caribou of the New World are divided into three types:

• The Barren Ground
• The Woodland
• The Mountain Caribou

These names are characteristic of the country in which they are found. the antlers of the male Caribou and Reindeer are often extensively palmated. These are the only deer in which the females also carry antlers.

The Roebuck is a native of Europe and Asia. It is a small deer standing about twenty-six inches high. The antlers seldom reach the length of twelve inches and generally have but three tines.

In winter the Roebuck is dark brown. In summer, it is reddish brown.

It is still found in the wild state in Scotland and throughout the greater part of Europe, northern Asia to Siberia and in northern China.

The largest of all the numerous deer family is the animal which is known as the Moose in North America and as the Elk in Europe and in Asia.

This striking animal is notable, among other things, for its large, palmated antlers. It grows to its largest size and produces the largest antlers in Alaska.

An exceptionally large Moose may measure over seven feet at the shoulder, and the biggest horns recorded measure seventy-eight inches in spread. The Moose is a creature of the northern forest and feeds chiefly on the leaves, twigs, and the bark of trees.

It is very fond of water and during the summer, when the flies are trouble-some, spends much of its time standing in the water of lakes, feeding on the water plants.

The Moose is found in the forest lands of Canada, Alas, and south into Wyoming and northern Michigan and Minnesota. In the East it formerly ranged south through the mountains of New York into Pennsylvania. The Indians of the north woods are dependent on the Moose for a living, for it furnishes them both meat and clothing in the winter.