Red Deer - South America | Online Record Book Preview

Cervus elaphus

Venado (Sp), Rothirsch (G), Cerf rouge, Cerf elaphe (F).

DESCRIPTION (male) Shoulder height about four feet (1.2 m). Weight 300-575 pounds (135-260 kg). Females are considerably smaller.

A large, stately deer, reddish-brown in summer, turning darker and grayer in winter. There is a faint dorsal stripe and a pale, yellowish rump patch that encloses the short, beige tail. The coat is coarse, and males grow a long, dense neck mane. In mature stags the antlers are large and heavy, with at least five points to a side, including the tip of the main beam. Typically, the first (brow) and second (bez) tines grow close together and are well separated from the third (trez) tine. The other tines are usually in a group near the beam tip, commonly forming a crown. Some outstanding antlers may have as many as 20 points in total, or even more. In red deer, the upper canine teeth develop as tusks, as in wapiti and sika deer.

DISTRIBUTION Free-ranging in a number of areas in Argentina and Chile, and to a limited extent in Peru. Also on private properties in Argentina and Uruguay.

REMARKS Red deer are native to Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East. Introduced in Argentina from Germany, France, Hungary and Austria beginning in 1902. By the 1970s, good numbers had been established in the wild in many areas. During the 1930s, red deer from Europe were introduced near the mouth of the San Juan River in Uruguay. Red deer from Argentina have been transplanted to several locations in Chile and Peru.