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Roe deer
are native to Britain and are the most widespread deer in the country.
They are relatively small (only the size of a
goat), hence their Latin name which means
small goat! They have sandy red-brown fur in summer and rather
grey-brown fur in winter..
Females have a whitish patch
on their rump, which is the shape of an inverted heart, whereas males
have a kidney-shaped patch. They have a very small tail that looks just
like a tuft of fur and have distinctive black noses and white chins. The
males have short antlers, rarely longer than 25cm, with a maximum of
three points each.
The
antlers grow for one year and are used to fight off other males and are
then shed at the beginning of winter. When cleaning their newly grown
antlers, roe deer can sometimes damage young trees by vigorously rubbing
them along the trunk and branches. Roe deer differ from other deer in
Britain, as they tend to be solitary animals.
Habitat:
Roe
Deer live mostly in
woodland with plenty of low vegetation and clearings.
Status &
distribution:
Roe deer have lived in Britain since prehistoric
times and are the most widespread of any deer here. However
they are not present in Ireland. They are thought to
be increasing in number.
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