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Elaphurus davidianus

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Description

The Père David's Deer.  This fairly large deer is the sole member of the genus Elaphurus.  It is native to the Subtropics of China, preferring marshland as it's main habitat.  It feeds on grasses and aquatic plants.  The adult Père David's deer reaches a head-and-body length of up to 1.9–2.2 meters (6.2–7.2 ft) and stands about 1.2 meters (3.9 ft) tall at the shoulder.  It is quite an unusual looking cervid, with wide, splayed toes and a horse-like head and tail.  The coat is reddish tan in the summer, changing to a dull gray in the winter.  Long wavy guard hairs are present on the outer coat throughout the year, with the coat becoming woolier in winter.  A black dorsal stripe is present along it's back.  They are currently listed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, only being present in captivity.  Hopes for reintroduction back into the wild in the future.
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WillemSvdMerwe's avatar
We just have to get these back into the wild!  We have quite a few of these in zoos here in South Africa too ... so certainly all over the world there must now be quite a substantial number of them.  Thanks for the pic and info!