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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing fallow deer. Originally, fallow deer were native to the Mediterranean. They were introduced to Britain in the 11th century by the Normans. Their numbers increased due to deer parks or fenced areas of land where medieval deer were kept for hunting. Captive deer would escape deer parks and form wild groups. Now, established herds of wild fallow deer prosper. They are also kept on every inhabited continent, and the same logic applies today: where captive fallow deer are kept, wild escapees also exist. They favor wooded areas with underbrush and large grassy meadows interspersed.

Depending on your source, fallow deer may be a single species or two separate species: the European fallow deer and the Persian fallow deer who has smaller antlers and stands slightly larger. On average, males are bigger than females weighing around 150 pounds (68kg) with females at about 100 pounds (45kg). Male shoulder height averages 3 feet (91cm) with females standing around 2.5 feet (76cm).

Although it is possible for a female fallow deer to grow antlers, it is highly irregular and usually caused by a genetic abnormality. Males typically start growing antlers within their first year as small spikes but as they mature the antlers begin to branch more. When they reach about four years of age, their antlers take on a unique shape. Like moose, fallow deer have palmate antlers, or antlers that look like a hand with extended fingers. These are shed each year towards the end of winter after the breeding season has concluded.

In the northern hemisphere, the fallow deer breeding season, also called the rut, begins around September. Males fight over females in sparring matches using their large antlers, though they don’t typically injure each other. Younger males with smaller antlers are usually pushed out, though they are capable of mating before they reach two years of age. In general, however, it takes about four years for a male fallow deer to successfully breed.

Fallow deer gestate, or remain pregnant, for about 34 weeks. Fawns are only about 10 pounds (4.5kg) in weight when they’re born which is slightly smaller than Chester. They’re kept away from the herd until after their first three weeks of life. At this point they are introduced to solid foods, but they’ll keep nursing for over half a year. They become independent when they reach one year of age.

These deer travel in small herds made up of females and their young. Males tend to be solitary but may form small bachelor groups outside of the breeding season. In the wild, fallow deer can live to be fifteen years old, though on average they don’t make it to a decade.

Predators to fallow deer include wolves and bears, as well as cougars for those living in non-native areas. In turn, these deer eat grasses, leaves, buds, and bark depending on the season. They are most active at twilight hours meaning they are ‘crepuscular’ in nature.

Something that sets fallow deer apart from many other deer species is that they retain their spots into adulthood. Fallow deer appear in many colors from brown to black to white. They also have a trident-like, black mark over their tail.

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