How Many Deer Species Exist And What Can We Do To Help Conserve Them?

Belonging to the Cervidae family, deer are ruminant hooved mammals characterized by their large eyes, small tails, and leaf-shaped ears.

A number of deer species are spread throughout the world and can be found in all types of habitats. However, the populations of some of them seem to be going down day by day.

As deer rely heavily on grass and other vegetation for food, clearing out natural spaces for farming or building purposes usually causes their population to drop because of starvation. They are also quite low on the food chain and are hunted for their meat, antlers, and skin.

Though an abundance of deer can cause problems in the ecosystem, letting them die out would be disastrous as well. Read on to learn more about this hooved animal family!

If you find this article interesting, check out our other pages on the deer diet and what are baby deer called?

How many species of deer are there?

Are you interested to know how many species of deer exist? Read on to find out!

There are around 45 species of deer in the Cervidae family, whose distribution can be found all over the world. Despite speculation, Antelopes are not actually deer and are not counted among these 45 species. The main difference between deer and antelopes is that both male and female antelopes have antlers, whereas only male deer do.

Endangered Deer Species

Unfortunately, many things such as habitat loss, poaching, and global warming have led to the endangerment of many deer species. Presently, some of the most endangered species in the world are as follows.

Instead of antlers, Chinese water deer have two small tusks protruding from their mouths.

Water deer are solitary animals, and their preference for wet, marshy climates has led to them being named 'water-deer'.

Though small populations of Chinese water deer do exist in the United Kingdom and France (herds formed by zoo escapees reproducing), the total population of this animal species has been estimated to be under 10,000, which makes their official conversation status 'vulnerable' according to the IUCN Red List.

This is most likely a result of them being heavily hunted in the wild.

Roe deer prefer to live in colder habitats and can usually be found in Europe and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Siberia.

Roe deer have beautiful, distinct three-tined antlers, which make them easily recognizable.

They also change their coats according to the season, with their winter colors being grayish-brown and having reddish-brown fur in the summer. Roe deer are a very adaptable species and prefer to live at the edge of a forest for better protection.

Unfortunately, these attempts at guarding themselves against predators are not very effective, and heavy hunting for their sweet-tasting meat, which is regarded as one of the best types of venison in the world, has led to a decrease in their numbers in the wild.

The Key deer is named after the only place in the world where you will find this dainty deer: the Florida Keys, USA. These reddish-brown animals are quite social and are not afraid to share their space with humans.

They love swimming and can be observed paddling from one island to another off the coast of South Florida. However, extensive hunting has led to their numbers being very low, with only 800 of them being left in the wild.

Also known as the Indian antelope, the Blackbuck is known for its beautiful blackish-brown coat and white, spiraling horns. It can mainly be found living in the grasslands of India and Nepal.

As Southeast Asia is heavily dependent on farming, the clearing out of their habitat in order to make space for farmlands, as well as hunting, has sadly led to their extinction in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

It has also caused a steep decline in other populations. There are around 25,000 of them left, and they can be found living in protected areas such as national parks and wildlife reserves.

Sika deer, also known as the Japanese deer, or spotted deer, are beautiful lightly colored deers that have coats that range from reddish to chestnut, spotted with white patches. They can usually be found living in forest areas with dense cover, as well as near swamps and marshlands.

Spotted deer are excellent swimmers and use the water to their advantage while escaping from predators. There are quite a few subspecies of sika deer, out of which a few are on the endangered list.

These are the North China sika deer, South China sika deer, Formosan Sika deer, Shansi sika deer, and Ryukyu sika deer. The decrease in their populations is a result of excessive hunting for sport and game.

Musk deer are laid-back, solitary deer that can be found frolicking in the snowy slopes of the Himalayan mountain range and Siberia. Both genders of this species remain antlerless, and it is the only known species of deer that possesses a gall bladder!

They have dense, brittle fur that is grayish-brown in color. Unfortunately, musk deer are poached heavily for the musk deer pod present in males, which is used to give many perfumes their signature 'musk' smell.

Types Of Deer In Asia

There are many species of deer found in Asia.

Sambar deer are large deer whose distribution spans over India and other parts of southeast Asia. The sambar is a rusty brown color, with the male having three-pointed antlers.

They prefer to live in dense, covered forests as they are very shy and run away at the slightest sound. There are six subspecies of the sambar deer, with the most southern of these subspecies being found in Indonesia. Similar to the chital deer, they are also often targeted by tigers as prey.

Barking deer (or the Indian muntjac) are a species of small, reddish-brown deer. Indian muntjac are no bigger than a dog.

There are nine subspecies of muntjac, all of which use their diminutive height to hide from predators in the grasslands of Asia. Barking deer owe their name to the barking sound they make when they are excited, similar to that which a dog makes.

Sika deer, also known as Japanese deer or spotted deer, are beautiful lightly colored deer that have coats that range from reddish to chestnut, spotted with white patches. They can usually be found living in forest areas with dense cover, as well as near swamps and marshlands.

Spotted deer are excellent swimmers and use the water to their advantage while escaping from predators. These animals are abundant in Japan and famously live among humans in Nara, which has made them a famous tourist attraction.

Barasingha, meaning 'twelve horned' in Hindi, are swamp-residing deer of India that have multiple tines on their horns. Males usually have 10-14 tines, with some even reported to have up to 20!

These deer are quite majestic and have a body length of almost 6 ft (1.8 m). They have the habit of covering their massive antlers with grass during the breeding season, in a bid to intimidate their rivals.

Chital, found in India and Sri Lanka, are beautiful reddish-brown deer that have white spots along the sides of their bodies. They can be spotted in herds of up to 100 members, which consist of males, females, and their young.

The herds are led by two or three dominant males. Chital deer live mainly in grasslands and are never too far from a water source.

Chital deer are known for their great speed, which they use while escaping from their primary predators (tigers) and also for the characteristic high-pitched scream which they let out when threatened. They can be spotted in Kanha National park of Madhya Pradesh.

Other than these, brow-antlered deer, sangai and leaf deer are also some popular deer species found in Asia.

African Deer Species

There exists only a single species of deer that is native to Africa.

This is the Barbary stag, and it is a subspecies of the slightly larger red deer, which is usually found in Europe and parts of Asia. It is found in dense forests in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. It is a species that went extinct many years ago before being reintroduced from Tunisian herds.

Deer Species In North America And The USA

There are six deer species in North America, with these spawning over 55 subspecies. Deer are a popular hunting game in America, with many people consuming venison (deer meat) as a delicacy. Deer hunting is fortunately regulated in many states, which helps to keep the natural populations in check.

The deer species found in North America are as follows.

Found in Canada and many parts of the USA, white-tailed deer are the most common type of deer species found in North America. White-tailed deer are very adaptable and can live in a variety of habitats.

They are also found outside of the United States, in parts of South and Central America. In North America, they are mostly found in the Rocky Mountains, as well as in Arizona, Mexico, and California.

Caribou, or as they are more commonly called, Reindeer, are found in colder areas such as in the Arctic tundra, as well as Northern parts of Europe and Asia. Caribou herds are not very nomadic and tend to stay in the same area for long periods of time.

Certain reindeer herds may migrate to the North during the onset of summer as they are better suited to living in chilly regions.

Named after their large ears similar to those of mules, mule deer can be seen in the rocky regions of Northwest America. The black-tailed deer is also a type of mule deer species. Mule deer migrate from lower-level areas in the winter to higher hilly regions during the summer.

Popularly known for their huge size and impressive antlers, moose are found primarily in Canada and the colder northern areas of the USA. Moose are the largest deer in America. Moose can be found living in densely covered pine forests, where ponds and streams are easily available.

Elk, also known as Wapiti, are a large deer species often confused with moose. They are mainly found in Northwest America, mainly in mountainous regions.

Elk usually inhabit Siberia and a few colder areas of Asia. Elk usually appear reddish-brown during the winter and change to a dark brown coat once the cold sets in. Males are known to shed their impressive antlers every year and grow new ones.

Very shy in nature and only active during the night, the South American Red brocket deer can be quite hard to spot! Red brocket deer are the least common deer species of North America, with the majority of its population staying in the south. Red brocket deer have reddish-brown coats, and males have small and pointed antlers.

Types Of Deer In Central America And South America

There are around 17 deer species found on the continent of South America. The most popular of these are as follows.

Known as the smallest deer in the world, Pudu deer inhabit temperate rainforests all over South America. There are two subspecies, the Northern pudu from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, and the Southern Pudu from Argentina and Chile.

Out of these two species, the Southern pudu is slightly larger. Unfortunately, it is also near threatened, according to the IUCN Red List, because of habitat loss and hunting. These animals can usually be found living on the slopes of mountains, meaning they are also called 'Chilean mountain goats'.

Pampas deer are found in low-level grasslands of South America. They are slender with tan coats, and they have white patches under their tails.

They are quite stealthy, crouching low in grasslands and then taking sudden bounds to distance themselves from predators. The subspecies of Argentina are considered as threatened due to hunting, encroachment of their habitat, and a host of diseases.

Known as the largest deer species of South America, marsh deer are found in marshy, lagoon-like habitats in Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru. They have a uniformly red-gold or tawny brown coat and have darker colored legs, with males having forked antlers.

They have specially evolved hooves that help them to walk comfortably on marshlands, as well as swim efficiently.

Asides from these species, the red brocket deer and white-tailed deer are also commonly spotted in parts of Central and South America.

Conserving Deer Species

Deer are quite important to the environment, as they help to keep the growth of grass and other vegetation in check, preventing overgrowth. They are an integral part of the food chain.

However, having too many deer can lead to the depletion of vegetation to a point where it is unable to grow back quickly. The wiping out of deer populaces is usually due to habitat loss by claiming the land for farming and construction, which takes away the primary food source of herbivores in that area.

They are also heavily hunted for venison, which is consumed as a delicacy.

Though encouraging overpopulation of deer is also dangerous due to overfeeding on crops and grasslands, we must not allow them to go extinct either. Controlled repopulation of deer in wildlife animal reserves and national parks seems to be the best solution to this problem, as it helps keep a balance between both deer population and the environment.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Deer species' then why not take a look at 'Deer gestation period' or 'Common eland facts'.