Cervinae, or the old world deer, is one of the two subgroups of the family Cervidae. Subfamily Capreolinae forms the other groups, sometimes referred to as the new world deers. This distinction is based on the evolutionary origins of these mammals.
Cervinae deer group includes famous species such as the elk, the muntjacs, the fallow deer, and the chital. Today, they are found inhabiting areas in Europe, North America, and Asia. Cervinae and Odocoileinae together form the entire Cervidae family.
Humans and these mammals have a long history. Although much of this time frame was shadowed by our destructive nature, we are now discovering and giving due credit to these fascinating creatures.
They have evolved immensely over the last 30 million years and their adaptations have proved to be quite successful.
Valerius Geist, a Canadian biologist in his book 'Deer Of The World', explains how deers thrived in ecological turmoil. As humans toppled the ecological balance by gaining control over the environment, these old-world deer got the opportunity to flourish without the presence of prehistoric, co-evolved species.
Continue reading to know more about the social structure, morphology, and other facts about the Cervinae.
If you liked reading this article, be sure to check out other related animal species with these kudu facts and gerenuk facts!
Cervinae Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Cervinae?
Cervinae, order Artiodactyla, is a subfamily of deers found across the Eurasian belt.
What class of animal does a Cervinae belong to?
Subfamily Cervinae belongs to the class Mammalia and has almost 15 Genera under its category. Five of them have already been declared extinct.
How many Cervinae are there in the world?
The Cervinae family consists of nine genera and multiple species within each category. Therefore, an exact estimate is not available. Furthermore, each species has its own population trend and size.
Where does a Cervinae live?
Species in Asia occur in countries like India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This group of animals can also be found in Europe and North America. North American deers include white-tailed deer, fallow deer, and red deer.
What is a Cervinae's habitat?
The various species of this family can adapt to many habitats. These include tropical rainforests, tundra, prairies, savannas, and transitional areas between forests and thickets. North American regions include mountains, tundra, grasslands, and wetlands.
Who does Cervinae live with?
Cervinae is a social animal and prefers to stay in groups called a herd. This group follows a social hierarchy and is lead by a dominant male deer.
How long does a Cervinae live?
These species do not live for very long because of multiple reasons. The average age is considered to be 4.5 years. However, the record for the longest living deer is 20 years.
How do they reproduce?
Being a mammal, species of the subfamily Cervinae have a viviparous reproductive system. The female of the species carries the fetus through a gestation period, mostly during summer, which may last for say, 6.5 months (for white-tailed deer). Fawns quickly gain independence after birth. The adult deer reach sexual maturity at approximately two years.
What is their conservation status?
The species of the subfamily Cervinae have different population trends and sizes. Geographical and terrain variations would therefore affect the assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN Red List.
For example, the red deer is considered to be Least Concern, the Hairy-fronted muntjac is assessed to be Vulnerable and David's deer have been declared Extinct.
Cervinae Fun Facts
What does Cervinae look like?
These mammals have a medium to large, elongated body with medium, hooved legs. Some males have up to four antlers. Females do not share this characteristic.
Other important features such as ears, tail size, and mane vary across species. For example, Axis deer and Red deer have long tails.
Many species have a separate winter and summer coat which gives them insulation in extreme temperatures. Mostly the species have a brown-colored coat. Certain fawns and adults, such as the fallow deer species, develop spots on their body which acts as camouflage.
How cute are they?
These hooved mammals are extremely cute and have a humble yet enchanting appearance.
How do they communicate?
While deers are quiet animals, they communicate amongst themselves using sounds, scent, and movement. Deer learn about each other through their scent glands present in front of each eye on the hooves. Alert signals can be given to each other through stomping of the hooves. Similarly, calls are made to find other deer of the herd.
How big is a Cervinae?
The species of the family may have a height of 35-59 in (63-150 cm). For example, the American Virginia deer can have up to 41 in shoulder-length and be 37-87 in (94-221 cm) long, including their tail. The key deer is slightly smaller in size and has a length of 24-32 in (0.6-0.8 m).
How fast can a Cervinae run?
The highest speed at which a deer may run is 31 mph (50 kph). A white-tailed deer can run at 29 mph (48 kph).
How much does a Cervinae weigh?
Males on average in America, weigh up to 150 lb (68 kg), as compared to females who might weigh at 100 lb (45.3 kg). This is a rough estimate and may change with related factors such as species, place of occurrence, and habitat.
What are the male and female names of the species?
Across species, a male deer is called a buck or a stag. Whereas, a female deer is called a hind or a doe.
What would you call a baby Cervinae?
A baby Cervinae can be called a fawn, a calf, or a kid.
What do they eat?
These animals are specialized herbivores, which means they are highly selective feeders of plant food. Its diet is made up of low fiber but high protein content.
This nutritional composition allows it to perform energy-intensive tasks such as growing antlers. Their digestive process may not be as efficient as those of cattle but enables them to meet a high energy requirement. Deer diet includes leaves, grasses, shoots, woody plants, and at times fruit and berries.
Are they dangerous?
While deers are known to be herbivores, incidents record that these deers at times attack humans in self-defense. They may also attack other animals such as dogs. This is related to the situational factors and perceived level of threat.
Would they make a good pet?
No, these are wild animals and are hard to tame. Even if they are bred in captivity, certain situations may make them violent.
Did you know...
Deers are hooved species. You can try to distinguish Cervinae vs Equidae (another hooved mammal) by noticing their size differences and their functionality. Equidae or horses have been tamed for work over the years. Whereas multiple deer species are still wild in nature have not been tamed.
Is the Cervinae endangered?
Some of the species such as the Eld's deer are endangered. Others such as the tufted deer, the Bornean yellow muntjacs, and hairy fronted muntjacs are facing severe threats and have been categorized as Near Threatened and Vulnerable. Conservation efforts include mapping the range inhabiting these species and protecting them. Each country has its own separate law enforced.
What is unique about the Cervinae?
The subfamily of Cervinae is known to have a distinct foot structure. It has been noted that Cervinae has only sustained the proximal ends of the second and fifth metapodia, whereas the new world deers retain the distal ends. Metapodia refers to bones that connect digits to the lower leg bone.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover!
For more relatable content, check out these kob facts and alpine ibex facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Cervinae coloring pages.
