Common name: Roe Deer
Also known as: European Roe Deer
Scientific name: Capreolus capreolus
Size: 65cm to the shoulder
Weight: 15-30kg
Colour: Varies from grey/brown to black in winter, and reddish/brown to sandy in summer. White rump patch is shaped like a heart on the females, and like a kidney on the males.
Life span: Up to 10 years in the wild.
Description
A relatively small, quick and graceful deer. Usually seen alone or in small groups. They have very good hearing, sight and smell. They are also very noisy, with several different calls and warning "barks".
Only the males have antlers. Young males have pointy, unbranched antlers. Older males have longer antlers usually with no more than 4 points.
Distribution
These animals are found all over the UK, and are regularly seen around the edges of Corfe Mullen.
Diet
Bramble (blackberry), roses, heather, young shoots, leaves and young juicy grass.
Habitat
Usually active during dusk and dawn (crepuscular). They tend to live in woods and will venture onto fields to feed. Not usually seen in fields that already have livestock grazing in them (sheep, cattle), as the livestock make the grass unclean.
Did you know
Roe deer can regrow their antlers during the winter. They are the only type of deer that can do this.
Roe deer give birth to only 1 or 2 fawns in Spring. These are weaned within 6-10 weeks. The fawns are spotted and look very much like Bambi!
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