The Roe deer is a short and stocky looking deer. A big buck may reach upto 75cm at the shoulder, and a small doe 60cm. Males weigh upto 30kg, but females are considerably smaller at aonly 16kg. Its forehead and nose are aligned in a straight line. It has large eyes and a good sense of smell. Its eyes have long eyelashes. The upper canines are usually missing, or are poorly developed. The nose and eyes are bordered black. In winter there are often pale patches either beneath the chin or low down on the neck. There is no external tail. In Winter the rump has a distinctive 'white disc', which acts as a warning signal. However in summer this is not usually present. In summer the coat is a dark red, but in winter looks much more scruffy and is a grey or brown colour. The spring moult occurs in April or May.Black or white mutations are known to occur.
By it's first Christmas young males have tiny bone buttons, which are shed and replaced by the true antlers. Antlers are usually lost in November and they begin to regrow straight away. The first true antlers are normally a single spike which grows to about 10cm. In full grown adults antlers are rarely longer than 30cm, and normally have no more than 3 points. In old age the males may revert to having a single spike again.
Roe Deer have a high reproductive capacity and can quickly colonise new areas. Because Roe Deer are territorial, there is often pressure for young animals to move into new areas away from already established populations. In Scandinavia Roe Deer have managed to spread into new areas at a rate of 1000 miles in only 100 years.
Roe Deer moved into Britain at the end of the last ice age, and spread all across Britain. However they failed to reach Ireland before it was cut off form the rest of the British Isles by rising sea levels. Due to widespread hard hunting Roe Deer numbers in Britain suffered greatly. By the 19th century many places in which Roe Deer had been formerly abundant, they were locally extinct. But with the re-introduction of some Scottish Roe Deer into Southern England, and a relaxing of hunting pressure they numbers soon began to rise in the 20th century. Roe Deer began to spead southwards into Yorkshire and Northern England from the Scottish borders. There range continues to increase in the midlands.
Usually Roe Deer live singly, or in small groups of less than ten. The females have territories of about 1km square, in which they stay in for most of the year. The edges are marked by using the scent glands on the head and tail, and by urinating. The males are more flexible, and have larger home ranges, these develop into territories in early spring but are abandoned during the rut.
The rut occurs between July and August. The males simply chase females that are in heat. Roe Deer are unique amongst the deer in that they have delayed implantation of the fertilised embryo. Some females have their eggs fertilised during the summer rut, and then the gestation is delayed until winter. For those females not fertilised during this time a second rut occurs in winter where they have a second chance. Normally two young are born in May or June. These are nursed for 4-5 months. The Roe deer eats grass, and leaves and is happy to graze during the night.
Questions and answers
Roe deer are predominantly a forest or woodland deer. They live in woodland, or areas with cover. In Britain they are found in Northern and Western areas. They are absent from Ireland. Throughout Europe it is abundant, but its distribution is not as extensive as the Red Deer's. It ranges from Western Europe across the temperate zone of Asia to China. It is adapting to living in smaller woodlands and cultivated landscapes.
What does the Roe Deer look like?
The Roe deer is the smallest native deer found in Britain. It has a grey-brown winter coat, which grows from September, but this is mostly moulted in spring. The summer coat is sleek and a redy-brown colour. Roe Deer have black noses and a white chin patch.
Only the males have antlers, which are lost during winter, but which regrow in time for the rutting time in late spring and early summer.
A distinctive feature is the white rump patch, which may act as a warning signal to other deer when it is shown. When alarmed Roe Deer will flash their white rumps and fluff them up.
What do Roe Deer eat?
Roe Deer are active mostly at dawn and at dusk. They feed on grass, herbs, leaves, shoots and berries.
Roe Deer normally live singly, or in pairs during the summer. They have small territories of about 1km square, which they defend from others. In winter though, they aggregate in much larger herds.
How does the Roe Deer breed?
A buck establishes a territory in June, but rutting does not occur until July or August. Does enter the territory to breed with the buck. Roe deer can strangely enough, delay the implantation of the embryo, and thus delay pregnancy. They are the only hoofed animals known to do this. Implantation takes place in December, with the kids being born in May. Normally only a single kid is born, but twins are not uncommon.
The kids are spotted at birth, but these fade within about 2 months. Roe Deer regularly leave their kids while they go off to forage. The kids are often left in thickets and stay still to avoid detection by predators. If you find a Roe Deer kid it is a mistake to touch it, the mother will soon return. However if she smells humans on her kid she may abandon it.
How old do Roe Deer live to be?
Roe Deer have a lifespan of 10 to 12 years, although some have been recorded living until 18 years old. They weigh 15 to 30kg. Roe Deer are very good jumpers, being able to leap distances of over 15 metres.
How do I see Roe Deer?
It is relatively simple to observe Roe Deer in the wild because they are so common. They are most easily seen at the early morning or in late evenings. They are shy.
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