European roe deer - description, habitat, lifestyle

Otherwise, European roe deer are called wild goats, very often these members of the family become victims of predators. In today's material we will consider everything that affects these individuals. How they prefer to get food, where they live, what is the mating season. There are many aspects, let's talk about them in turn.

Description

1. Representatives of this variety have a relatively small body, it is rather shortened or medium, but not elongated. The rear section of the torso is raised, so it seems that the front legs are shorter. The croup is thick and sloping. By weight, animals reach about 23 kg. Their body length is 100-130 cm. With regard to the height at the withers, animals grow up to 80 cm. Maximum.
2. Sexual dimorphism is manifested in the fact that individuals of male affiliation are slightly larger. However, in some cases it is not noticeable at all.The largest representatives of the species are in the eastern and northern parts of their distribution range. The head is shortened in the format of the wedge, tapers to the nose. The eye area is wide and high. The skull in this zone expands, the front part is short but wide. Ears are oval and elongated, there are sharp edges. Eyes of a large format, bulge, pupils set crooked.
3. The cervical region is elongated, compacted. Limbs long, not too thick, claws short. The tail is hidden under the woolen cover. In the summer and autumn season, individuals of the male gender sweat a lot. They also produce a caustic and strongly smelling secret that animals mark their territorial possessions with. These animals are not very well seen, but differ excellent hearing, which allows time to recognize the danger and escape. The sense of smell is also well developed.
4. Males have rather large horns, but they do not stand out. The appendage above the orbits is absent, the main horn bends to the back. The format of the horns are rounded, they have many bumps and sections. You can confuse this structure with a socket. Certain individuals have abnormally developed horns.They begin their formation at the age of 4-5 months. Horns slowly grow and branch out up to 3 years. The animals throw them off in the middle of the autumn or early winter.
5. Individual female sex horns do not have, but in some instances they can grow in an ugly form. As for the body pigmentation, adult animals are plain. They are painted grayish or brownish-gray with a transition to a brownish pigment in the back of the case. But this is a winter dress. At all other times, individuals, as a rule, are brownish, beige, gray-brown. The tail part is light red or whitish, as well as the caudal disc.
6. When the summer season comes, the deer change their color. They become uniform and reddish, but there may be lightening in the abdominal area. As a rule, they are either whitish or light red. The body pigmentation in the summer is more uniform. There are some varieties, for example, in Germany, which are pigmented with black. They can be glossy, matte, gray-brown-black.

Lifestyle

1. These animals are characterized by activity in different temporarygaps. A certain time is allotted for food, another period takes rest, the third is created for traveling and walking. Especially often these animals are awake in the early morning or at dusk, but the final style of behavior depends on the area of ​​distribution and other aspects. This includes the season, time of day, anxiety or lack thereof, etc.
2. Animals make beautiful runners. That is what they use when they are going to run away from a hunting tiger or other predator. Roe deer can reach 60 kilometers per hour and even more. When she eats, she moves through the pasture without haste and fuss. She stops, listens to her surroundings and relies entirely on her feelings.
3. In the summer and autumn season, individuals move a lot at dusk to protect themselves from blood-sucking insects. In the winter, feeding takes longer, as it is necessary to cover the energy reserves and fill up for the future. At this time, at least half a day is given to herding. All the rest of the time individuals digest food and rest. When animals are at rest, they move in steps or trot.If danger is brewing, then galloping with jumps.

Habitat

1. Discussed representatives of the species inhabit the larches, mixed stripes, other forest-steppe areas. They do not live in coniferous zones, if there is not at least a couple of larch trees, from which quality litter is obtained. There are no animals in complete wilderness, deserts, semi-deserts. It is important for them that the food supply is present at the distribution site. It is better if sparse forest belts with shrubs and lawns act as permanent habitats.
2. In the summertime, they can graze in the tall grass, underbrush with shrubs. They like floodplain ravines, cuttings, overgrown areas. Inheritance animals do not graze in the woods. If you look generally, all members of the family are ranked as a forest-steppe category. However, many prefer shrub type rather than fully wooded environment or open terrain.
3. The individuals discussed have adapted to live alongside people, in cultivated landscapes, and in other particular areas. Animals quickly adapt to changes in the environment and climatic conditions, so if necessary they can move to another place. Very often, individuals are found near agricultural land.They can hide under the needles only during the bad weather.
4. When choosing a permanent habitat, mammals emphasize the presence or absence of food. It is also important that nearby there are natural or artificial shelters where the animal will hide from predators.

Lifespan

1. It is worth noting that individuals reach sexual maturity at the age of about 6 years. At this time, the animals begin to prepare for the mating season. The problem still lies in the fact that when an animal matures, it begins to absorb worse the nutrients that enter the body with food.
2. As a result, the physiological state of the individuals becomes much weaker than before the period of puberty. In addition to all other things, external factors of all kinds affect the general condition of the animal.
3. Thus, the maximum age of represented animals was 15 years. Such a roe deer lived in the wild in Australia. Experts specifically mark individuals after capture, then release into the wild. In this way they can follow its entire life cycle.In captivity roe deer live 25 years.

Nutrition

1. It is noteworthy that wild goats have an extensive diet. Their main menu may include various types of plants. However, in most cases, artiodactyls try to feast on saturated food with easily digestible food.
2. Almost 70% of the main menu of such individuals are dicotyledonous herbaceous plants. Also in the daily diet includes various tree species. The rest of the roe is not against eat lichens, moss, moss, ferns and mushrooms.
3. In addition, the individuals represented are happy to eat various cereal crops. Ungulates feed on Thyme, Highlander, catchment, sorrel, burnet, angelica and hogweed. Individual preference is given to aquatic plants.
4. Most often, such food is found on lakes and marshes. There they eat nuts, berries, acorns and chestnuts. Considered animals are smart enough, they regularly eat medicinal plants that have antiparasitic effects.
5. In addition, individuals know how to replenish the reserves of mineral substances in the body. They regularly visit saline soils and drink the local water.Such a liquid is rich in various minerals. The rest of the parcipeds receive water mainly from snow and plants.
6. The day the animals need only 1.5 liters. water. With the onset of the cold season, the variety of the diet is significantly reduced. Roe deer feed on shrubs, buds and shoots of trees. They also consume dry grass and loose leaves.
7. When there is not enough food at all, wild animals try to dig up lichens and mosses from under the snow. Sometimes comes across bark and needles. At such a time, roe deer can dig holes in the snow in search of food up to 50 cm. If an individual finds something, it immediately eats whole.
8. Due to the small volume of the stomach and accelerated metabolism, animals need frequent feeding. Especially enhanced nutrition is necessary for pregnant individuals. This also includes those roe deer that feed the young with milk.
9. The males before the rut try to gain strength and eat a lot too. When there is enough food, such animals do not eat up all the available food, they bite it only partially. As a result, deer can harm various crops and crops.

Natural enemies

1. These individuals in the wild have many natural enemies. Roe deer are actively hunted by large and medium-sized predatory animals. Wolves and lynxes are the main enemy of the artiodactyls. Youngers are mainly hunted by badgers, foxes and martens.
2. With the onset of the winter period, wolves begin to hunt roe deer especially strongly. It is in the snow time that considered individuals are extremely difficult to move. Therefore, roe deer are extremely vulnerable.
3. It is worth noting that predatory animals attack not only weakened roe deer, but also quite healthy ones. When heavy snowfalls begin, many more artiodactyls and their cubs die. This is due to the predators hunting them and the lack of food.

Breeding

1. Most often, the presented animals have a marriage period of mid-August. At this time, the males acquire strong horns and torso as a whole. Gon occurs on light forests, forest edges and bushes. During the mating season, males eat little and pursue females.
2. During this time, 1 male can fertilize up to 5-6 females. Roe deer are the only artiodactyl latent animals.Therefore, the gestation period can last 260–320 days. Most often, the young are born at the beginning of the vein.

Roe deer are quite interesting artiodactyls. Due to special weather conditions and predators, the number of individuals is gradually decreasing. Soon roe deer may become endangered.

Video: European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)