Deer
Deer
Fossil range: Early Oligocene–Recent
PreЄ
Є
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Male and female Mule deer
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Suborder:
Ruminantia
Family:
Cervidae
Goldfuss, 1820
Subfamilies
Capreolinae/Odocoileinae
Cervinae
Hydropotinae
Muntiacinae
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cer-
vidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related
families within the order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungu-
lates) are often also called deer. Male deer of all species
(except the Chinese water deer) grow and shed new
antlers each year – in this they differ from permanently
horned animals such as antelope – these are in the same
order as deer and may bear a superficial resemblance.
The Musk deer of Asia and Water Chevrotain (or Mouse
Deer) of tropical African and Asian forests are not true
deer and form their own families, Moschidae and
Tragulidae, respectively. All other animals in Africa re-
sembling deer are antelope.
Terminology
The word "deer" was originally quite broad in meaning,
but became more specific over time. In Middle English
der (O.E. dēor) meant a wild animal of any kind (as op-
posed to cattle, which then meant any domestic live-
stock).[1] This general sense gave way to the modern
sense by the end of the Middle English period, around
1500. Cognates of English "deer" in several other lan-
guages still have the general sense of "animal – for ex-
ample German Tier, Dutch dier, and Scandinavian djur,
dyr, dýr. "Deer" is the same in the plural as in the
singular.
For most deer the male is called a buck and the fe-
male is a doe, but terminology varies according to the
size of the species. For many medium-sized deer the
male is a stag and the female a hind, while for many lar-
ger deer the same words are used as for cattle: bull and
cow. Terms for young deer vary similarly, with that of
most being called a fawn and that of the larger species
calf; young of the smallest kinds may be a kid. A group of
deer of any kind is a herd.