Water deer [1] ( Latin: Hydropotes inermis ) is a species of hornless deer, the only representative of the genus Water deer ( Hydropotes ) of the family Deer .
| Water deer |
 |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Subfamily : | Water deer ( Hydropotinae Trouessart, 1898 ) |
| Gender: | Water deer ( Hydropotes Swinhoe, 1870 ) |
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| International Scientific Name |
|---|
Hydropotes inermis Swinhoe , 1870 |
| Synonyms |
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- Hydropotes affinis Brooke, 1872
- Hydropotes argyropus heude, 1884
- Hydropotes kreyenbergi Hilzheimer, 1905
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| Subsidiary taxa |
|---|
- H. i. argyropus heude, 1884
- H. i. inermis swinhoe, 1870
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| Security status |
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Vulnerable speciesIUCN 3.1 Vulnerable : 10329 |
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Content
Body length 75-100 cm, height 45-55 cm, weight 9-15 kg. There are no horns; in males, powerful upper saber-shaped fangs 5-6 cm protrude from under the upper lip. A small tail (5-8 cm) is barely noticeable. The general color is brownish-brown, the upper lip and the rings around the eyes are white. Summer coat is short, winter furry, but the undercoat is rare.
The lifestyle is poorly understood. Lives alone or in pairs. Leads mostly daytime and very careful.
Habitat
It lives in grassy thickets along the banks of rivers and lakes and along swamps.
Nutrition
Mostly grass, as well as leaves, mushrooms and young shoots.
Reproduction
The race happens in December, and at this time the males fight with fangs, trying to cut the enemy’s neck. After the rut, males are often found with large scars on the face and neck. During fights, males make loud rattling sounds. Pregnancy lasts about 6 months, and in June - July one or two, rarely three sika deer, are born. Newborns lie hiding in dense thickets for several days and begin to accompany their mother no sooner than a week later.
Distributed north of the Yangtze Valley in East China (subspecies Hydropotes inermis inermis ), and in Korea (subspecies Hydropotes inermis argyropus ).
Acclimatized in France and the UK.
It is bred in many zoos in the world.
Guard
The Chinese population is stable, but this species of deer is found in a small area, and therefore is under protection.
- ↑ Sokolov V. Ye. The five-language dictionary of animal names. Mammals. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V.E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. lang., 1984. - S. 126. - 10,000 copies.
