Ho Ho Ho Meet Rudolph’s cousins: Red, Fallow and Roe

In full festive mode, Tomorrow’s wildlife column celebrates the famous and most iconic of all Christmas reindeer, Rudolph, by bringing you three species of cervidae (deer) that can be found in Portugal.

Generally speaking, members of the deer family are herbivores that live in forests, meadows and hillsides. Food is a variety of grass, leaves, bark, lichen, fungus and even nuts, depending on the time of the year and what foods are available. Their most recognisable features, the antlers, are single structures composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves and blood vessels. Despite the impressive appearance, antlers are temporary features that grow and cast (fall) every year.

The Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus)

The largest and most impressive has to be the Iberian red deer. This native deer is the largest land animal in Portugal. Males reach over two metres in length, weigh an average of 170 kilogrammes and stand as tall as a human adult. Ahead of the breeding season, or the rut that occurs in autumn, stags develop an impressive set of antlers that can grow one metre tall and have as many as twenty points. The impressive weapons are used to fight off rivals and impress females. The most aggressive and dominant male will see the right to mate with a harem of females, securing its genetic lineage in future generations. For most of the year, they live in single-sex groups until mating season brings them together.

The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)

The smallest native deer in Europe, also found here in Portugal, is the roe deer. This shy and friendly-looking animal is more abundant in the north of Portugal, in areas such as the Gerês National Park (where it features as the park’s logo), and around the Douro region. The population south of the Douro river is expanding towards central regions.

Roe deer only grow 1.35 metres in length, weigh around 45 kilogrammes and stand slightly over one metre tall. Male antlers are short and typically show three points in each antler on a mature buck. Both males and females show a prominent white rump with no visible tail. Perhaps the most solitary and elusive on this list, these creatures of the forest are very alert, easily spooked and have a unique ability to disappear into their surroundings.

European fallow deer (Dama dama)

The other species present in Portuguese territory is the European fallow deer. Not a native species, its original distribution stretched from Italy to the Middle East. It was introduced to Portugal in nature parks and private hunting estates where, in most cases, they have been confined. However, some escapes have resulted in wild populations thriving around the Guadiana valley, Alcaçer do Sal (Setúbal district) and Coruche (Santarém district). Sizewise they sit in between the other two resident deer. Social animals, they can often be seen in large herds.

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

As for Rudolph and his own kin, reindeer are a large and resilient species that live in the harsh Arctic region. Thus, they are a logical choice for pulling Santa’s sleigh. Also known as caribou in America, these are the only deer where the females also grow antlers.

Did you know?

Worldwide, there are 43 other species of deer. The North American Moose (Alces alces) stands out as the true giant. These majestic creatures can measure 2.3 metres tall and weigh 800kg. The smallest of the Cervidae family is the Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistopheles), an inhabitant of the Andes region in South America that only grows 35cm tall and weighs 8–10 kilogrammes. For comparison’s sake, it is roughly the size of a small beagle.

The spots on fallow deer’s summer coat and fawns of several species give these animals a Bambi-like appearance, although the Classic Walt Disney character was based on the North American white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). This said, the original Felix Salten’s 1928 book Bambi was originally about the life of a young roe deer.