In different languages, the name of Siberian roe deer sounds in its own way: in English - Siberian Roe Deer, in German - Sibirischen Rehwild, in Spanish - Corzo Siberiano, in French - Chevreuil de Sibérie. Often it is also called eastern. But few people know that other types of roe deer are distinguished in the family of these beauties. In total there are five of them, the SCI book of records, for the correct accounting, combines them into two: Siberian roe deer (three options - pygargus, caucasicus, tianschanicus) and Chinese. Two subspecies of the latter are known - bedfordi and mela-notis. We will dwell in more detail on the first version, the most typical representative of this specie of artiodactyls.
Siberian roe deer
Capreolus pygargus is a small elegant reddish-brown deer. This color is characteristic of the animal during the summer. Further roe deer becomes gray, pale brown or even black - in the winter season. Her tail is very small, and in the cold it is completely invisible or completely absent. Males are larger than females and have short horns, usually with three points. The canopy lasts from October to January. A new pair, which begins to grow rapidly, is immediately covered with “velvet” overlaid skin, it is she who supplies blood to the growing horns.
You can see these animals in the north-eastern regions of Asia: in Mongolia, on the Korean Peninsula, in the regions of Eastern Tibet, Northeast China, on the Tien Shan. A large population of representatives of this species of deer lives in the southern part of the West Siberian Plain. In particular, the most extensive roe deer habitat in the Kurgan region is located. The nature of these places is the best suited for its existence and reproduction.
Biology and breeding season
Siberian roe deer can be active for 24 hours, but the main peaks of its agility are at dawn and dusk. You can meet animals either singly or in small mixed groups. In winter, as a rule, they form large groups, since it is easier to get food together. The diet of roe deers is quite wide, its variety depends on the time of year and includes leaves of shrubs, trees, weeds, acorns, mushrooms, coniferous shoots and ferns. The breeding season, or “rut”, occurs from mid-July to August. During this time, roe males become very aggressive and actively defend their territory. Fights between males are frequent. They are a clash of two males that block each other's horns, crush and twist them. Such fights can lead to serious injuries and even death.
After winning, the winner can then mate with the female. Courtship involves winning the chase of a female for some time until she is ready for mating. Although the latter occurs in August, a fertilized egg does not begin to develop until late December or early January. In roe deer, one to three cubs are born, most often in May-June. Twins are often obtained. After birth, roe deer are left alone for six weeks. Their inconspicuous color helps to camouflage individuals for a while, but deaths from predators are still high. After this time, the cubs remain with their mother. Both sexes diverge, but females tend to stay closer to the younger generation than males.
Next of kin
The closest relative of the Siberian species of these animals is European roe deer. Their representatives are similar in lifestyle, habitat, food system and other areas of life. The only thing they have are only slight differences in appearance. The Siberian species has a more massive body. Summer hair is brighter in color closer to red. Winter "fur coat" is much thicker and rougher. The horns are directed clearly upwards, in the form of the letter V, and never touch.
It is noteworthy that roe deer is a wild animal in Europe, which is allowed to hunt (though not everywhere). The horns of this beautiful representative of the fauna are not inferior in value to other European trophies. As a rule, it is customary to start the hunting season in early May, until the vegetation has become dense, and small roe deer can be easily seen in it.
European roe deer is widespread in England, with the exception of its eastern part (Kent and Midland). It is also often found in Scotland, less in Wales. It lives throughout Europe and Asia Minor, except for the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. There is no representative of deer in Lebanon, Israel, Northern Ireland and Eastern Europe. Their distribution has been reduced, the range is fragmented due to hunting and other types of human intervention. This fact happened in the late XIX - early XX centuries.
Siberian roe deer. Description
Externally, Capreolus pygargus is a small deer with a long neck, without mane, with relatively large ears (12-14 cm). The tail is in its infancy (2-3 cm) and cannot grow longer. In winter, the color varies from grayish-brown to dark brown, in summer - from reddish to red-brown. Males have fairly dense skin on the head, neck and front of the body. The tail patch is absent or poorly expressed. In winter, more noticeable. The top of the head is gray or brown, sometimes dark brown. Roe deer molt twice a year, in spring and autumn. Children of this species look spotty.
Horns are present, and roe deer drop them annually in October-November. New ones grow almost immediately. In boys, they are slightly larger than in girls. In addition, they have a tubercular shape. The basal sockets are clearly defined.
The hoofs of Siberian roe, the photo of which shows this well, is narrow and short, with well-developed lateral muscles.
Analysis of 11 different groups of roe deer showed that the average length of the animal is 107–125 cm, the height at the shoulders is 66–83 cm, the body weight is 22–30 kg, the maximum length of the skull is 191–212 mm, and its width is 84–91 mm By itself, it is small and somewhat elongated. The lacrimal bones are shorter than the orbital diameter of the cavity. The preorbital glands are in their infancy, and the tympanic bullae are small. The anterior ends of the nasal bones are bifurcated by pressing on the maxillary bone. Orbits of medium size. The maxillary bones are relatively high.
Habitat
If we talk about the habitat, then roe deer prefer forest-steppes and small islands of forests among arable land. They love tall grass, meadows with shrubs. In addition, they like islets of land left after deforestation, which are used for restoration. They also adore tall grass and meadows with shrubs.
Siberian roe deer occupies a wide range of habitats, including deciduous, mixed or coniferous forests, swamps, pastures, arable lands in suburban areas with large gardens. And you probably already guessed who prefers landscapes with a mosaic of forests and is well adapted to modern agricultural landscapes? That's right - Siberian roe deer. The photos in the article show this beautifully.
Food
Roe deer consume about a thousand different plant species within their habitat. Of these, 25% are tree crops, 54% are herbaceous dicotyledons, monocotyledons are somewhere around 16%. They can eat needles of conifers, but this usually only occurs in winter, when other sources of nutrition are absent. Roe deers prefer energy-rich foods that are soft and high in water. Due to the small size of the stomach and the fast digestion process, their body requires frequent meals. They usually have five to eleven separate feeding periods per day. They can eat at hourly intervals, provided that the food is in optimal accessibility for them.
Types of food vary depending on the season and animal habits. However, one study showed that differences in dietary composition correlate more closely with habitat than with season. Feed reserves are reduced in winter, and the diet becomes less diverse. Consequently, metabolic rate and food intake are reduced. In the spring, on the contrary, energy needs and the digestion process increase. And they consume concentrates in the form of seeds or fruits in the fall.
Siberian roe eats absolutely all kinds of plants: herbs, wildflowers, blackberries, buds and leaves of trees, shrubs, loves mushrooms and various crops.
Roe Life Span
The maximum age that was recorded is 17 years and 5 months in captivity. From observations it follows that young females (90%) survive better in the wild. In wild conditions, the average life expectancy of these animals is up to 15 years. It is worth noting that implantation can be from 2 to 5.5 months. So the total time of pregnancy can last from 122 to 305 days.
Reproduction of offspring
Male roe deer reach maturity by the end of the first year of life. However, they cannot begin breeding offspring until the third year of life. Physiologically capable of reproduction, they become from March to October. But basically this process lasts from June to August. Only in a few individuals does this happen sooner or later.
Female roe deer are capable of reproducing offspring when they reach 14 months. The duration of estrus in them, as a rule, is 36 hours.
Pregnancy and cubs
Siberian roe belongs to ungulates, therefore it has a latent period of pregnancy, and, therefore, its reproductive cycle differs even from closely related species. Embryo implantation usually occurs in January. A fertilized egg enters the uterus, where it divides. Then follow 4–5 months of minimal activity. The gestation period is between 264 and 318 days. Fawns are born between April and July. At one time, two, and three babies can be born. They weigh 1–1.7 kg and have their own distinctive color.
The young are almost helpless during the first few days of life and easily fall prey to predators. Breastfeeding occurs until August and stops completely in early autumn, but sometimes lasts until December. After weaning from the mother, the deer completely switch to plant foods. They grow rapidly, two weeks after birth, their growth exceeds the body weight already twice.
