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African Deer Types

While deer species have spread across the globe, Africa itself has only one native species of deer, the red deer. Deer belong to the order Cetartiodactlya, which also includes camels, pigs and sheep. The Red deer is one of the largest deer species in the world and successfully survives in environments as diverse as the Caucuses and Tunisia. While a distinct species, it is a close relative to the North American elk.

Habitat
- Red deer range across large parts of Eurasia, from Great Britain to the Caucuses Mountains to Africa. Red deer in Africa live throughout the Atlas mountains range. The Atlas mountain range across North Africa, specifically in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Red deer migrate across the Atlas mountain in large herds, seeking food.
Body Type
- The red deer is the fourth largest deer species, behind only moose, elk, and the sambar deer species. Its coat has a distinct rust color that gives the red deer its name. The red deer grows up to 5 feet tall and can be as long as 9 feet. They range from 375 to 1100 pounds depending on their size. Male red deer grow antlers.
Food
- Red deer are ruminants, which means they have multiple stomachs and will rechew their food to aid digestion. Like other ruminants such as cows, red deer often graze on grasses. They also eat leaves and twigs. They occasionally eat lichens growing on rocks and plants as well as flowers and even mushrooms.
Breeding
- During the breeding season that occurs in the autumn, red deer herds will split into multiple groups. Multiple females will follow a single alpha male, who fight amongst each other with their antlers to collect as many female deer as possible into their "harem." After the mating season, the herd regroups until the females give birth in the late spring.

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