Guinness World Records 2018

First antler-shedding deer species

The earliest antler-shedding deer currently

known to science is Dicrocerus elegans. The

species lived in Europe during the Miocene

period (20 million–5 million years ago), with

fossil records from France, Germany, Portugal,

Slovakia and Serbia, as well as China. Its

antlers were simple, and hence are dubbed

“proantlers”. They were forked (Dicrocerus

translates as “forked antlers”), but lacked

tines (prongs, or points) and had a thickened

base. Antlers were borne only by males, and

were shed annually. The main stem of each

antler became shorter with each shedding,

as occurs in modern-day muntjacs.

Largest prehistoric fallow deer species

Based upon fossil evidence and depictions in

cave paintings, the giant deer (Megaloceros

giganteus) is believed to have reached a

height of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) at the shoulder. It is

also known as the Irish elk, owing to the many

Deer

ANIMALS

LARGEST DEER

No deer species is

larger than moose.

They eat around 73 lb

(33.1 kg) a day in the

summer – mainly

vegetation such as

woody plants and

shrubs. In winter, they

eat plant buds and

their daily feed drops

to 34 lb (15.4 kg). In

Sep 1897, an Alaskan

moose bull (Alces

alces gigas) standing

7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) at

the shoulders and

weighing 1,800 lb

(816 kg) was shot in

the Yukon Territory

of Canada.

MOST BLOODTHIRSTY UNGULATES

(The term “ungulate” denotes hoofed animals,

such as deer.) On the Inner Hebridean island of

Rùm, UK, the vegetation lacks minerals such as

calcium and phosphorus. To meet their dietary

requirements, the island’s red deer (Cervus

elaphus) ºill the ĉedglings of groundȗnesting

seabirds, particularly Manx shearwaters (Puffinus

puffinus, inset). They bite the birdsȣ heads off and

chew on the bones to get the minerals they need.

Having their eyes positioned on the sides of the head gives deer

a field of vision of around 310°. They can see behind them.

Like cows, deer have one

main stomach split into

four compartments. This

is true of all “ruminants” –

animals who chew cud (i.e.,

regurgitate and chew food

that has been swallowed) as

part of the digestion process.

fossil specimens found in Ireland, but was not

closely related to the elks. Genetic studies

have confirmed that its closest relative was

the modern-day fallow deer.

Largest muntjac species

The giant muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis)

is native to Vietnam and Cambodia. Weighing

30–50 kg (66–110 lb), it is twice as heavy as

other muntjacs and a third longer, too, with

antlers up to four times as large. It is all the more

remarkable, then, that this sizeable species

remained undescribed by science until as

recently as 1994.

Newest species of mouse-deer

Despite their vernacular name, mouse-deer or

chevrotains constitute a separate taxonomic

family (Tragulidae) from true deer (Cervidae), and

with the exception of a single African species are

found only in Asia. The latest species of mouse-

deer to be formally recognized by science is the

yellow-striped chevrotain (Moschiola kathygre),

oĆcially described and named in 2005. It is

native to the island of Sri Lanka.

The smallest ungulate is the lesser Malay

mouse-deer (Tragulus javanicus), with a

shoulder height of 20–25 cm (7.8–9.8 in), a body

length of 42–55 cm (16.5–21.6 in) and a body

weight of 1.5–2.5 kg (3 lb 4 oz–5 lb 8 oz). Mature

males are identified by their tusºȗliºe upper

canines that protrude from the jaw; females of

the species are noted for their ability to conceive

within two hours of giving birth.

Chinese water deer

(Hydropotes inermis

inermis) have long,

fang-like tusks,

but no antlers

Some caribou herds

contain as many

as 1 00,000 members

100,000

Four stomachs

LONGEST TERRESTRIAL ANIMAL MIGRATION

The farthest distance travelled by a migrating land animal is that of Grant’s

caribou (Rangifer tarandus) of Alaska and the Yukon Territory in North

America, which travel up to 4,800 km (2,982 mi) per year. In the summer, they

eat grasses and shrubs on northern tundra. When winter arrives, however,

they trek south to the Yukon to forage for lichens and similar vegetation.

Q: How many species of

deer are there?

A: Around 100. They are native to

every continent, except Antarctica

and Australia.