The appearance of sika deer, habitats, lifestyle, behavior in nature, nutrition, reproduction, nursing of offspring, problems of keeping in captivity. The Ussuri sika deer (Cervus Nippon hortulorum) is an amazingly beautiful and rare animal. This is the closest relative of the red deer. In China, this magnificent spotted handsome man bears a very poetic name made up of two hieroglyphs - "Fa-Lu", which means "deer flower" in Chinese.
It belongs to endangered species of animals (at present, the population of this cloven-hoofed mammal is no more than 3000 individuals). "Deer-flower" is listed in all existing international Red Data Books and is universally protected by law.
Sika deer appearance
The sika deer is a graceful and graceful cloven-hoofed animal with a strong and slender build at the same time. The body length of females reaches 174 centimeters with a height at the withers up to 98 centimeters. Adult males are much larger, their body length is up to 180 centimeters with a height at the withers up to 118 centimeters. The weight of females reaches 74–84 kg, males - 118–132 kg.
A small, beautiful, proportional head on a vertical and graceful neck, only in males crowned with magnificent horns, the crown of which usually consists of three, four, five and, extremely rarely, seven processes, reaching 80 centimeters in size. The number of processes, the size of the horns and their weight directly depend on the age of the animal. The deer usually has the largest and heaviest antlers. Unlike many other species that also have a tubular horn structure, Fa-Lu changes horns every year.
Large expressive eyes, large, mobile and always alert ears.
Slender, strong legs, allowing the sika deer to run, gallop and swim superbly. The leap of a cloven-hoofed animal running away at full speed can reach a length of 10 meters, and a height of 2.5 meters.
The color of the harsh coat of this handsome Ussuri, in the summer time, has a reddish-red color with small light spots scattered on the back and sides of the animal. In winter, this bright color fades somewhat, acquiring a grayish-brown color. The spots will also fade and become less visible. The belly and near-tail zone of a sika deer is always lighter, sometimes up to almost white color. Along the entire length of the body, from the back of the head to the base of the tail, there is a dark or even black stripe, the so-called belt-border.
The tail of the animal is short. "Mirror" (white spot around the tail), bordered with dark brown or black hair.
Distribution area and habitats of the Ussuri deer
The main habitat of the Ussuri sika deer subspecies covers the territory of the Primorsky Territory of Russia, northeastern China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. This animal is also found in North Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan. It was seen on the islands of the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan and on the southern islands of the Kuril archipelago (Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands). It was introduced in small quantities and acclimatized on the territory of countries of almost all world continents. The main natural habitats are mixed forests of the Manchu type, wooded slopes of the Sikhote-Alin ridge, floodplain forests of the Far Eastern rivers flowing into the Sea of Japan.
In winter, sika deer prefer to stay in snowless or little snowy areas of a narrow strip of the sea coast of South Primorye. Acclimatized in other countries, small populations of this subspecies of artiodactyls are settled in wooded areas with rich grassy meadows and forest edges, as well as in shrub floodplains of rivers.
Sika deer lifestyle and behavior in nature
The “deer flower” leads an exclusively gregarious life. On average, the herd numbers from 7 to 10 individuals. For the winter, artiodactyls huddle in larger herds.
Spotted Ussuriians graze, as a rule, with the onset of evening twilight and at night, preferring to rest in the daytime somewhere in a secluded shady corner of the forest. It is possible to meet them grazing during the day only in winter on the coast or in the natural boundaries, where they hide from strong winds.
Animals move around their territory, using the same routes, trampling well-distinguishable paths. Deer swim well, which allows them to cross not only rivers, but even sea straits up to 10 kilometers wide. That is why they can be found on the islands of the Kuril ridge of the Sea of Okhotsk, quite far from the mainland.
Unlike other wild animals, "Fa-Lu" is not afraid to approach human habitation, roads and railways in search of food, although it behaves very wary. Regularly, especially in snowy winters, he visits feeding places organized by man.
Feeding of the Ussuri sika deer
The diet of the Ussuri handsome in the warm season consists of meadow and forest grasses, buds, young shoots, bush leaves and low underbrush trees.
Also, "Deer Flower" is a big lover of berries and mushrooms that grow everywhere and in large quantities in Primorye.
In winter, these cloven-hoofed animals eat what they can find in the winter forest or get out of the snow in the foothill regions. Basically, these are acorns, nuts, edible fruits of trees that have fallen to the ground. Dry dead leaves, thin branches of shrubs, bark and even needles of trees are eaten. On the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, the Ussuri deer eat algae washed by the sea surf.
In addition, sika deer, like other ungulates, need salt. Especially in spring after a meager winter diet, as well as during periods of molting and active growth of horns. Reindeer are in dire need of salt also during pregnancy, and then when feeding their offspring.
To replenish the salt balance, animals actively visit salt licks specially arranged for them by humans in reserves and forestry farms, and also find and dig up natural salt licks or go to the sea coast. There, sika deer lick stones salted from sea water and eat brown algae - kelp, thrown ashore by the surf.
Reproduction of the Ussuri sika deer
Sexual maturation of male deer occurs in the third or fourth year of life, while females are ready for mating at the age of two.
The rut (mating season) in sika deer occurs during the month - from the end of September to the end of October. For the right to own a deer between adult males, serious fighting fights take place, often ending in injuries to rivals. Not only horns are used, but also hooves and teeth. But, as they say, the winner takes it all.
Often, red deer and red deer become rivals of the “flower deer” in the breeding field, which leads to the appearance of hybrid variants of this animal, especially in places of assimilation. After the end of the mating season, when all relations have been clarified, adult males of the Ussuri sika deer, having created their own "male" herd, leave, leaving the fertilized females to graze on their own.
After eight months of pregnancy, usually in May - June, a deer usually gives birth to only one fawn. The birth of two cubs is very rare. The weight of a newborn is from 4 to 7 kilograms.
Nursing the offspring of sika deer
A newborn fawn of the Ussuri sika deer gets on its feet already in the first hours after birth, but during this period it is too weak to follow its mother. Therefore, he remains in place for a long time, hiding in tall grass or bush. The mother deer grazes near the calf, feeding it with milk up to 10 times a day.
Only after reaching the age of two months, the baby fawn, in addition to milk, begins to independently nibble the grass and young leaves of the bush. Gradually, he completely switches to plant foods and by the age of one year, he finally leaves the care of his mother.
Natural enemies of the animal
The spotted Ussuri deer has many enemies in nature - a wolf, an Ussuri tiger, a brown bear, a lynx, and in some areas of the Far East, also a leopard.
The main and especially dangerous enemy of this species is wolves. In snowy winters, when it is not only difficult for a deer to get food, but it is also extremely difficult to escape through deep snow from a chase, it was the wolves who exterminated and exterminate up to one fifth of the population of sika deer.
This type of artiodactyl has suffered a lot from humans. And it's all to blame - young and still quite soft, entangled in blood vessels, antlers - antlers used to make a very valuable medicine - pantocrine. It was the barbaric extermination of the spotted mammal by antler hunters that caused enormous damage to the population of this beautiful creature.
At present, hunting for "Fa-Lu" is prohibited everywhere, and the "deer flower" itself is listed in the Red Book.
Sika deer captive problems
This is a very shy and distrustful animal. And although he is able to let a person close to him much closer than his wild relative, the red deer, nevertheless, until the end of his life, being frightened and trying to avoid a meeting with a person, being in captivity, he is able, rushing about, to seriously injure himself against the enclosure fence.
The full life of this creature is possible only at will. In captivity, he is practically not tamed, which completely excludes his home keeping.
What the spotted Ussuri deer looks like, see this video:
