Elaphurus davidianus

Geographic Range

The historic range of E. davidianus was northeastern and east-central China (Nowak, 1999). Truly wild specimens disappeared from the area sometime around 200 A.D., but because a captive herd was maintaind in the Imperial Hunting Park, the species has survived.

• Biogeographic Regions
• oriental oriental
  • native native

Habitat

Historically, E. davidianus were probably found in the lowlands of China, swampy areas and reed-covered marshlands (Nowak, 1999). Today they survive in the wild in two national parks: Beijing Milu Park and the Dafeng Milu Natural Reserve. This species can also be found in captivity in many zoos around the world.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate

• Wetlands
• marsh marsh
• swamp swamp

Physical Description

E. davidianus has reddish to deep reddish brown summer pelage with a medial black stripe down the shoulders. Winter pelage is grayish brown with darker areas on flanks and throat. Both sexes have a dark tail tassel on their relatively long tail. The skin between the hooves is naked (Nowak ,1999).

Pere David's deer range from 1,830 to 2,160 mm from head to the base of the tail. The tail adds another 220-355 mm. Male E. davidianus weigh about 214 kg and females about 159 kg. Males have antlers that are shed annually in December or January (Nowak, 1999). New antlers immediately begin growing and reach full size by May (Huffman, 2001). Antlers are around 55-80 cm along the curve and fork close to the skin (Harper, 1945). The long hind prong is very straight, and the front prong branches off with the prongs facing backwards. Males also have a maned throat (Nowak,1999).

Immature E. davidianus are spotted white with an average birth weight of about 11 kg (Nowak ,1999).

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• male larger
• ornamentation ornamentation

Development

See Reproduction.

Reproduction

Males engage in mock combat and real fights during the rut. A male joins a group of females which he thus defends from other males. Stags lose weight rapidly because they don't eat while they defend the harem, and they are succeeded by new stags as the rut continues. After leaving the harem, the male begins to feed again, and will quickly regain his weight.

• Mating System
• polygynous polygynous

Sexual maturity for females is about 2 years and 3 months (Nowak, 1999), and males mature about a year later. About two months before breeding season in June, males will leave the herd. They will rejoin a harem of females and fast during the rut. When fighting, males will use antlers, teeth, and will even rise up on hind legs and box with their front legs. Females have an approximately 20 day long estrous cycle (Nowak, 1999), and within a breeding season can have multiple cycles. The gestation period is about 280 days and one or two fawns are born in April or May (Jiang et al., 2001). Fawns weigh about 11 kg at birth. After the rut, males will leave the herd again for another two months and begin feeding (Brinklow,1993).

Development in species has not been reported. The gestation period is unusually long, however, and an embryonic diapause may occur (Nowak, 1999).

• Key Reproductive Features
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • internal internal
• viviparous viviparous

As in all mammals, the female provides the young with milk.

• Parental Investment
• female parental care female parental care

Lifespan/Longevity

The maximum longevity record is 23 years and 3 months. Average life span is about 18 years (Huffman, 2001).

Behavior

Unlike many deer species, Pere David's Deer is very fond of water. They will wade up to their shoulders in the water and will also swim. These herding animals are very social. They live in large groups except prior to and following mating when males will leave the group. Females remain in social groups throughout the year (Huffman, 2001).

• Key Behaviors
• motile motile
• nomadic nomadic
• social social

Communication and Perception

• Perception Channels
• tactile tactile
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

E. davidianus are herbivores and their diet consists mainly of grasses. During summer they will eat many aquatic plants (Nowak, 1999).

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • folivore folivore

• Plant Foods
• leaves

Predation

Because there are no real wild populations of this species, information on predation is not available.

Ecosystem Roles

It is difficult to assess the ecosystem role of such a rare animal. Historically, at least, these deer were probably important in maintaining habitats through their foraging behavior. They probably also provided food to predators.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

This species is farmed for food and can also be found in hunting parks.

• Positive Impacts
• ecotourism ecotourism

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

None cited

Conservation Status

E. davidianus is critically endangered by the IUCN.

Other Comments

The name that the Chinese gave these deer was "sze pu shiang". This means “none of the four.” The deer supposedly has a neck like a camel, a tail similar to that of a donkey, antlers of a deer, and hooves similar to a cow. However it didn’t resemble any of them more than the other (Harper, 1945).

In 1865, Père Armand David, a French missionary, discovered the deer in the Imperial Hunting Park (Nan Hai-tsu Park) near Peking they were believed to be the only surviving members of the species. About a dozen individuals from this group were imported to Europe. In 1894, a flood destroyed the Imperial Hunting Park and much of the herd was killed. Those that did survive were hunted by starving citizens during the Boxer Revolution in 1900. The Duke of Bedford gathered the remaining breeding population of 18 deer at his abbey in Europe and began to increase to population. During WWII the herd was moved because of the fear of extinction due to bombing.

In 1985 Pere David's Deer was reintroduced to the Beijing Milu Park and a second group was released in 1986 in a site north of Shanghi called the Dafeng Milu Natural Reserve (Huffman, 2001). In 1997 an estimated 671 deer were surviving in the wild in China (Jiang et al., 2000).

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Erin Jacobson (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Chris Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

References

Brinklow, B. 1993. Gestation periods in the Père David's deer ( Elaphurus davidianus ): Evidence for embryonic diapause or delayed development. Reproduction Fertility and Development , 5: 567-575.

Harper, F. 1945. Extinct and Vanishing Mammals of the Old World . Baltimore MD: The Lord Baltimore Press.

Huffman, B. 2001. "Ultimate Ungulate: Pere David's deer, Milu" (On-line). Accessed Nov 29, 2001 at ttp://www.ultimateungulate.com/perdavdeer.html .

Jiang, Z., C. Yu, Z. Feng, L. Zhang, J. Xia. 2000. Reintroduction and recovery of Père David's deer in China. Wildlife Society Bulletin , 28: 681-687.

Jiang, Z., L. Zhang, J. Xia, R. Yang, C. Rao. 2001. Density dependent growth and population management strategy for Père David’s deer in China. Acta Zoologica Sinica , 47: 53-58.

Nowak, R. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th Edition . Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins Univeristy Press.