Scottish red deer

Last updated

Scottish red deer
RedDeerStag.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus: Cervus
Species:
Subspecies:
C. e. scoticus
Trinomial name
Cervus elaphus scoticus
Lönnberg, 1906

The Scottish red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) is a subspecies of red deer, [1] which is native to Great Britain. Like the red deer of Ireland, it migrated from continental Europe sometime in the Stone Age. The Scottish red deer is farmed for meat, antlers and hides. [2] [3]

Contents

Description

This deer is slightly smaller than other Western European red deer, an example of insular dwarfism. In summer, the coat is lighter in colour with a distinct border to the lighter patch on the rump. The rest of the colour is dark reddish brown with a greyer face and neck. The legs are blackish brown. In winter the animal grows long hair on the neck. The brow and the bez tines of the antler are usually close together and at a distance above the burr.

Range

This deer thrives in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and in parts of England such as Westmorland, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and the New Forest. It is also found in County Kerry and County Donegal in Ireland. However, most of the red deer kept in parks in the British Isles are derived from the larger subspecies brought from the European mainland, the Western European red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus). This subspecies has also escaped from deer parks and has become feral in some areas.

Although mostly found in the north of Scotland, there are reports of deer being spotted in the Borders.

Population

The UK's red deer population doubled in the 50 years leading up to 2018, with more than half of those animals found in Scotland. The rising population has sparked significant debate surrounding management, with proponents of culls citing the damage caused to forests and rare plants. They also pose a risk to drivers, with around 6,000 traffic collisions involving red deer taking place each year. Approximately 100,000 are culled each year, although a 2017 report by MSPs argued that efforts to manage the numbers are not succeeding. [4]

Research by the Forestry Commission in 2014 stated that rising deer populations pose the biggest threat to Scotland's native ancient woodlands. [5]

In November 2019 it was revealed that a 45-year study indicated that climate change had affected the gene pool of the red deer population on Rùm, one of the Inner Hebrides islands, Scotland. Warmer temperatures resulted in deer giving birth on average three days earlier for each decade of the study. The gene which selects for earlier birth has increased in the population because those with the gene have more calves over their lifetime. Dr Timothée Bonnet, of the Australian National University, leader of the study, said they had "documented evolution in action". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roe deer</span> Species of deer

The roe deer, also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. The species is widespread in Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, from Scotland to the Caucasus, and east as far as northern Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sika deer</span> Species of deer native to much of East Asia

The sika deer, also known as the Northernspotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south to the Russian Far East in the north, it is an uncommon species that has been extirpated in most areas of its native range, except in Japan, where it is overabundant and present in very large numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red deer</span> Species of hoofed mammal

The red deer is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa; being the only living species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. In many parts of the world, the meat (venison) from red deer is used as a food source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambar deer</span> Species of deer

The sambar is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, South China and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local insurgency, and industrial exploitation of habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorold's deer</span> Species of mammal

Thorold's deer is a threatened species of deer found in the grassland, shrubland, and forest habitats, at high altitudes, of the eastern Tibetan Plateau, as well as some fragmented areas further north in central Western China. It is also known as the white-lipped deer for the white fur around its snout.

<i>Cervus</i> Genus of deer and elk

Cervus is a genus of deer that primarily are native to Eurasia, although one species occurs in northern Africa and another in North America. In addition to the species presently placed in this genus, it has included a whole range of other species now commonly placed in other genera. Additionally, the species-level taxonomy is in a state of flux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbary stag</span> Subspecies of deer

The Barbary stag, also known as the Atlas deer or African elk, is a subspecies of the red deer that is native to North Africa. It is the only deer known to be native to Africa, aside from Megaceroides algericus, which went extinct approximately 6,000 years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caspian red deer</span> Subspecies of deer

The Caspian red deer, is one of the easternmost subspecies of red deer that is native to areas between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea such as Crimea, Asia Minor, the Caucasus Mountains region bordering Europe and Asia, and along the Caspian Sea region in Iran. The Caspian red deer is sometimes referred to as maral, noble deer, or eastern red deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmir stag</span> Deer subspecies

The Kashmir stag , also called hangul, is a subspecies of Central Asian red deer endemic to Kashmir and surrounding areas. It is found in dense riverine forests in the valleys and mountains of Jammu and Kashmir and northern Himachal Pradesh. In Kashmir, it is found primarily in the Dachigam National Park and in Tral Wildlife Sanctuary where it receives protection, and elsewhere it is more at risk. In the 1940s, the population was between 3000 and 5000 individuals, but since then habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock and poaching have reduced population dramatically. Its population is now grown marginally to 289 in 2023 from 197 in 2004. It is the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the only surviving Asiatic sub-species of the Red deer family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bactrian deer</span> Subspecies of deer

The Bactrian deer, also called the Bukhara deer, Bokhara deer, or Bactrian wapiti, is a lowland subspecies of Central Asian red deer native to Central Asia. It is similar in ecology to the related Yarkand deer in that it occupies riparian corridors surrounded by deserts. The subspecies are separated from one another by the Tian Shan Mountains and probably form a primordial subgroup of the red deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchurian wapiti</span> Subspecies of deer

The Manchurian wapiti is a putative subspecies of the wapiti native to East Asia. It may be identified as its own species, Cervus xanthopygus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elk</span> Species of deer

The elk, or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The word "elk" originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Asian red deer</span> Species of deer

The Central Asian red deer, also known as the Tarim red deer, is a deer species native to Central Asia, where it used to be widely distributed, but is scattered today with small population units in several countries. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2017. It was first described in the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tule elk</span> Subspecies of mammal

The tule elk is a subspecies of elk found only in California, ranging from the grasslands and marshlands of the Central Valley to the grassy hills on the coast. The subspecies name derives from the tule, a species of sedge native to freshwater marshes on which the tule elk feeds. When the Europeans first arrived, an estimated 500,000 tule elk roamed these regions, but by 1870 they were thought to be extirpated. In 1874–1875 a single breeding pair was discovered in the tule marshes of Buena Vista Lake in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Conservation measures were taken to protect the species in the 1970s. Today, the wild population exceeds 4,000. Tule elk can reliably be found in Carrizo Plain National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, portions of the Owens Valley from Lone Pine to Bishop, on Coyote Ridge in Santa Clara Valley, San Jose, California and in Pacheco State Park and areas surrounding San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altai wapiti</span> Subspecies of deers

The Altai wapiti, sometimes called the Altai elk, or simply the Altai Deer, is a subspecies of Cervus canadensis found in the forest hills of southern Siberia, northwestern Mongolia, and northern Xinjiang province of China. It is different from the Tian Shan wapiti in being smaller and paler in color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corsican red deer</span> Subspecies of deer

The Corsican red deer, also known simply as the Corsican deer or Sardinian deer, is a subspecies of red deer found on the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France).

The Alashan wapiti is an Asian subspecies of wapiti, or elk as they are called in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting in New Zealand</span>

Hunting is a popular recreational pursuit and a tourist activity in New Zealand with numerous books and magazines published on the topic. Unlike most other developed countries with a hunting tradition, there are no bag-limits or seasons for hunting large game in New Zealand. Hunting in national parks is a permitted activity. The wide variety of game animals and the limited restrictions means hunting is a popular pastime which has resulted in a high level of firearms ownership among civilians.

<i>Cervus elaphus acoronatus</i> Extinct subspecies of deer

Cervus elaphus acoronatus is an extinct subspecies of the red deer belonging to the family Cervidae. Some authors consider it a distinct species, Cervus acoronatus.

The Irish red deer is a subspecies of the red deer that is native to Ireland.

References

  1. "Taxonomy – Cervus elaphus scoticus (Scottish red deer)". Universal Protein Resource (UniProt). Cambridge, Geneva, Washington DC: European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI); SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics; and Protein Information Resource (PIR). Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  2. "An introduction to deer farming". The Scottish Farmer. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  3. "Venison expert calls for multi-million pound investment into deer farms". Deadline News. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  4. "How can Scotland's growing red deer population be managed?". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  5. Miller, David (3 February 2014). "Deer 'biggest threat' to woodlands" . Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. "Climate change alters red deer gene pool". BBC News online. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.