Hoofed plant-eaters whose males, in almost every species, grow and shed a new set of bony antlers every year. Reindeer are the only deer in which females grow antlers too.
This entry covers a whole group, so the answers describe a typical member. For a specific one, see Moose, Elk, Reindeer.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?Can be
Mostly on the road: in the US, collisions with deer kill about 150 people a year.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
Hunted for meat, and northern peoples herd reindeer for food, clothing and transport.
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatForest, Grassland, Mountains, Wetland
ColoursBrown
SizeLarge
Height32–35 cm (northern pudu) to 2.6 m (moose)
WeightUp to 800 kg (moose)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inherds
Lives for10–20 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Native to every continent except Antarctica and Australia; Africa has only one native deer, the Barbary stag.
- What it eats
- Plants: grasses, weeds, herbs and the leaves and shoots of woody plants.
Did you know
Antlers are bone, grown and shed every year — horns never are.
The only male deer that don’t grow antlers are water deer.
Often confused with
- Reindeer
In most deer only the males grow antlers; in reindeer, females can grow them too.
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