The deer is a much painted and praised animal and that is due to its noble and cuddly appearance. There are many thousands of deer in the Netherlands and it is a common mammal in almost all of Europe. The animals form tracks in the forests and dunes and live in leaps and bounds. The gestation period is special about the deer: the species has the so-called dormancy. Deer can swim and sometimes they use that skill to cross the Wadden Sea and pass parts through the water. They ended up on Schiermonnikoog and Ameland, among other places.
Two fawn eyes …
- Reebok and goat
- Antlers
- Even-toed ungulates
- Dormancy and fawn
- Roe deer in Europe
- Enemies
- The Netherlands and Wadden Islands
- Black deer – Melanism
Reebok and goat
A roe deer is a ruminant mammal with a sandy yellow to reddish brown color in the summer season. In autumn the coat turns darker and the deer turns gray-brown. A male deer is called a buck and a female is called a roe goat: a group of deer is called a jump. The deer has a white back, which is called a mirror. A deer has a very small tail, which makes the mirror stand out. The slender legs and the speaking head make the deer a popular object for draftsmen and painters. The roe deer ‘eyes are so beautiful that they inspire lyricists to song lyrics and poems.
In the Netherlands the Selveras became famous in the 50s and 60s with their rendition of this song:
Two fawn eyes, they looked at the hunter
Two fawn-brown eyes that he cannot forget
Two fawn eyes, they looked at the hunter
Two fawn-brown eyes that he cannot forget
Antlers
An adult male bears antlers, which can have three to six branches. The antlers grow in the winter, while the bark hide is sanded down in the spring. After the summer, between October and January, the buck sheds its antlers. It is a sign of strength, a weapon of intimidation or an actual weapon in combat. On the head at the base of the antlers are sweat and sebaceous glands that are actively used to secrete a fragrance when the deer wants to leave a scent trail. He can mark his territory with that fragrance. The goat does this mainly during the breeding season. The roebuck’s territory usually overlaps several areas where goats roam and can measure 5 to 30 hectares.
Even-toed ungulates
There are even-toed ungulates and ungulates. Deer and roe deer belong to the even-toed ungulates, just like pigs, cows and hippos. Even-toed ungulates have two toes on each leg, sometimes four, but at least an even number. Even-toed ungulates are herbivores and roe deer are a herbivorous ruminant.
Dormancy and fawn
A young deer is called a fawn. The gestation period of the deer has a special feature. The deer is a mammal that dormancy knows. It is the only ungulate in which the unborn fetus develops in an extended gestation period. The rut lasts from July to mid-August, a period when the roe goat searches for the buck and the buck chases the goat. After mating and fertilization, gestation begins. After a few days, the fertilized egg ends up in the uterus and then dormancy begins. The germination delay lasts four and a half months; there is a delayed implantation. The embryo does not begin to develop rapidly until mid-December. The calf is born in the period of May and June, after which the lactation period begins. This is called putting and it is the calf that determines where it is put. Calves stay with their mothers for a year and are sexually mature from fourteen months. A deer goat usually gives birth to twins.
Males and females
The buck is slightly larger than the deer goat and the female usually lives a little older than the male.
- length from head to body: 95 to 140 cm
- weight: 16 to 35 kg
- height at the withers: 60-90 cm
- antlers: three to six branches and a maximum of 25 cm
- life expectancy: maximum 20 years, usually 8 years
Bark
Roe deer can bark and lamentable scream and squeak during rut. A goat makes itself heard during mating season and when her calf calls. The calf calls and responds with plaintive cries similar to the sounds the goat makes.
Roe deer in Europe
The deer can be found in almost all of Europe, although there are a few exceptions. You don’t see them in Ireland, parts of England, Portugal and Greece, Northern Scandinavia and Iceland. He also does not run in Northern Turkey and the Caucasus. The animal needs wooded areas with clearings and likes reed and heather fields. The deer adapts easily and is a follower of culture. He should have open space and plenty of places to hide and rest. They mainly search for food, graze and nibble at dusk. They eat herbs, grasses, shoots, leaves and buds from trees and shrubs. Deer do not dislike berries, crops, twigs, acorns, beechnuts and mushrooms.
Enemies
The deer has a number of enemies. In Europe this is the lynx, wolf and the bear. Young animals also want to fall prey to a fox, wild cat or wild boar. Food shortages and infections are another cause of death. The animal is regularly a victim of traffic, of stray dogs that chase them or of drowning. A deer can swim, but if it fails to get up to a high bank, it will still drown. Sometimes a fawn ends up in a mowing machine.
The Netherlands and Wadden Islands
In the Netherlands you can encounter deer almost everywhere. The Wadden Islands did not have deer, just as they do not have moles and squirrels. The animal was introduced by humans on Ameland and Terschelling. They also occur on the Wadden Islands of Borkum, Sylt and Föhr. The roe deer is sometimes seen walking through the mudflats, but walking through the mudflats to Terschelling will not be possible because of the channels that are too deep and the current is too strong. In the 20th century, a deer did manage to come to Ameland by walking and swimming. Hunters then brought over a few deer for the lonely animal on the island. These have developed into a big leap (in 2017 there are 170 animals). In 2009, a deer was seen on Schiermonnikoog, but the species has not settled on the island.
Waddenzee
Many deer live on the Frisian mainland. People on the ferries regularly see a specimen or a set of animals that venture on the mudflats.
Black deer – Melanism
In 2017 a black deer is seen on Ameland. The animal is healthy and is fine. He only has black fur due to melanism, even his mirror is black. If the animal has offspring, they will most likely be just brown again, because melanism is not dominantly inherited.
Deer under the swallow
On May 11, 2017 another roe deer crosses to Ameland. He is seen on the island, very tired and swallowed. The forester of Holwerd reports that he regularly sees lane changes on the Frisian outer dike land near Holwerd.