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The deer of David is a rather rare animal, the existence of which the European part of the population did not even suspect until the beginning of the nineteenth century. The discovery of a new species was made by the missionary - lazarist from France, Armand David, who studies botany and zoology. This scientist first encountered an unusual deer during his trip to China. He saw a representative of an unknown species in the closed garden of the emperor. In this area, Armand David discovered the skeleton of adults of both sexes, as well as the remains of a young. The scientist sent the received materials to Paris in order to compile a description of the species. Subsequently, the animal got its name - the deer of David.
According to scientists, at the time of the discovery of skeletons of individuals, animals of this species either ceased to exist in nature or remained in very small numbers.It is also sometimes possible to find information that the last representative of the deer of David was shot dead near the Yellow Sea in 1939. Evidence of this fact does not exist, and therefore with confidence to assert that this was exactly the case, it is impossible. Even if, at that time, the deer of David was still living in nature, the number of individuals was relatively small.
In history, it is a fact that in 1869, the Emperor of China Tongzhi presented several deer in the UK, France and Germany for keeping in zoos. However, individuals survived only in the UK. After this friendly gesture in China, there was a great flood in the flood of the Yellow River. A large number of individuals simply died in such conditions. The remainder of the deer was destroyed later in 1900 during a boxing rebellion. It is for this reason that all of David’s present deer can be considered descendants of precisely those individuals who managed to survive in the UK zoo. Over time, the species began to breed in captivity, so that David's deer appeared in zoos around the world.
The main reasons for the sharp decline in the number of individuals in naturalconditions became the uncontrolled destruction of animals during hunting, as well as the destruction of territories inhabited by deer. Currently in the world there are several hundred animals of this species contained in various zoos. In addition, a rather large group of individuals was transported to the Dafyne Milu reserve back in 1985.
Scientists suggest that these areas were the ancestral home of David's deer. In this area, the animals feel pretty good, the breeding process is actively underway. Currently, about two thousand individuals already live in the reserve. For this reason, in the near future, it is possible that animals will begin a new life in the wild.
What territories does it live in?
Today, David's deer is found only in zoos and reserves. Previously, they settled northeastern parts of China. For living animals chose flat areas located not far from the marshes or ponds. As a rule, seasonal transitions from one locality to another were characteristic of David's deer, in most cases they were migrations to river valleys.
What does the deer of David look like?
It is worth noting that the deer of David has not only an unusual history of its origin, but also a rather strange appearance. The size of the animal is quite large. The body length of the deer reaches two meters, the maximum height is 1.1 meters. The mass of an animal can vary from 130 to 200 kilograms.
The deer of David has a rather large and somewhat elongated head, on which one can mark large eyes with pronounced glands in front of them. Large and beautiful horns can be found only in representatives of the strong half. As a rule, males change them up to two times a year. The tail has a length of up to half a meter, at the end is a black tassel. The color of the deer may be different. It depends mainly on the time of year. In the summer months, the coat usually has a reddish-brown shade, but in winter it turns gray.
A distinctive feature of David's deer is the presence throughout the year of fairly long guard hairs, which, moreover, also curl. On the back, in the area of the spine, namely along it, you can see a dark band.
Representatives of this species have long legs with wide hoofs and a rather wide stableheel part. These legs and hooves are designed for walking in marshland, as well as soft soil.
Description of the appearance of David's deer has a lot of interesting features. It is curious that in China this animal had a completely different name. The Chinese called these individuals "similar to four." The fact is that the deer of David have hooves, like those of cows, a tail that is very similar to the tail of an ass, a rather long and weighty neck like that of a camel, and also the horns of a real deer.
Lifestyle
A surprising fact is that the deer of David are extremely fond of water and love to be in it. Unlike most of its fellows, this species of deer even knows how to swim. Individuals can easily spend in the pond most of the day, moreover, they enter the water almost completely, leaving only the head on the surface.
Breeding
David's deer become sexually mature at the age of two years. The mating season they have is quite interesting. Males in the fight for females arrange the most real fights, using not only horns, but also teeth, and even hooves. In this case, one male can gather several females around him at once, arranging a kind of harem. The female bears a cub for about 9-10 months.Most often, one deer is born. In rare cases, childbirth can bring two babies at once. When kept in an open-air cage, many females, in principle, cannot tolerate more than two or three cubs throughout their lives. The female feeds the deer, which for 11 months nurses the baby with milk, and then begins to introduce normal adult food.
What do David's deer eat?
Today it is reliably known that the only enemies of this species of deer in natural conditions were tigers, as well as leopards. Individuals living now in captivity, of course, do not meet with their enemies. However, it is worth noting that even the usual image of these predators can cause panic in deer. On average, David's deer live for about 18 years.
Thanks to Arman David, it was possible to save so much an unusual kind of deer from extinction.It is through his work today that we can observe individuals in zoos and reserves.
Video: David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)
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