The body is elongated, the legs are high, the head is elongated and narrow, and the neck is short. Ears pointed, short.

There is no fur at the tip of the muzzle. The tail is long, with elongated hairs at its tip.

The Deer of David is medium in size. In length, these animals reach 150-215 centimeters, and about 140 centimeters in height. Deer of David weigh 150-200 kilograms.

The horns grow up to 87 centimeters in length. They are very peculiar, no other species of deer has such a form: the juveniles of the main trunk look back, and the lowest and longest process can also branch, sometimes it has up to 6 ends.

In summer, the color of the back of the David deer is yellow-gray, while the ventral side is light yellow-brown.

Near the tail there is a small "mirror". IN winter time the color becomes gray-brown. The young have a light reddish-brown color with faint white-yellow spots.

Deer David lifestyle

The deer of David lived in the swampy regions of Central and Northern China. In the middle of the 19th century, the deer of David were preserved only in the imperial hunting park. It was there that the deer were discovered in 1865 by a missionary from France, David. In 1869, he brought one individual to Europe, and today these deer, in the amount of about 450 individuals, live in all major world zoos.

And in China, the last deer of David was destroyed in 1920 during the Boxer Rebellion. In 1960, deer were again acclimatized in their homeland.


How Do David's Deers Behave? vivo dont clear. Most likely, these animals lived along the banks of wetlands. The diet of these animals consists of swampy herbaceous plants.

Deer of David live in herds of various sizes. mating season falls in June-July. Pregnancy lasts about 250 days. In April-May, 1-2 deer are born. Puberty they begin at 27 months, and in rare cases they can mature at 15 months.

Revival of the David deer population

The history of this animal is an example of the importance of keeping animals in captivity for the conservation of rare species. David's deer were exterminated in their homeland, this species could have completely disappeared if some animals had not been settled in various zoos in Europe.


Just one person was the initiator of all the deer of David gathered together and united in a small herd. This made it possible to save the genus from complete extinction.

David's deer were not domesticated, but at the same time they were not known as wild animals. In historical times, the deer of David lived on a large alluvial plain in China.

Wild individuals ceased to exist from 1766 - 1122. BC, when the Shang Dynasty ruled. At this time, they began to cultivate the plains where the deer lived, so they were gone. For almost 3,000 years, deer have been kept in parks. When the genus was discovered to science, only one herd survived in the Imperial Game Park south of Beijing. In 1865, the French naturalist Armand David managed to see deer through the fence of the park, where Europeans could not pass. This is how these animals were discovered.

IN next year David obtained 2 skins of these animals and sent them to Paris, where they were described by Milne-Edwards. Later, several live deer were transported to Europe, and their offspring settled in several zoos.


In 1894, the Yellow River overflowed, which demolished the stone wall surrounding the Imperial Park, and the animals scattered around the surroundings. Many deer were killed by starving peasants. Only a small number of deer survived, but in 1900 they were destroyed during the ongoing Boxer Rebellion. Only a few deer were taken to Beijing. By 1911, only two David deer remained alive in China, but both of them died 10 years later.

One Man's Perseverance Saved the Deer Population

These events prompted the idea of ​​the Duke of Bedford to create a herd in Woburn, and for this it was necessary to bring all the animals from different European zoos together. In 1900-1901 he collected 16 specimens. The breeding herd began to increase, and by 1922 there were already 64 individuals in it.

The endangered species of artiodactyl - David's deer is under the control of zoologists, for its conservation created world organization. Why animals almost disappeared, what events preceded this? What does a deer look like, where does it live, what are its features? Answers and photos in the article.

What happened to the rare artiodactyl

During the history of its existence, David was on the verge of extinction twice. How did it happen? Even at the beginning of our era, people "met" with a wild deer with branched horns. But "communication" consisted in hunting deer in order to get tasty meat, skin and antlers. Rapid deforestation in Central China, uncontrolled hunting has led to almost complete extermination rare animals. Thanks to the Chinese ruler in the 2nd century AD. a small number of individuals were saved. They were caught and settled in the Imperial hunting park.

Attention! Deer, native to the Chinese forests, are unique in their ability to swim, unlike other species. Therefore, swampy places were comfortable place for their residence.

Hunting for horned mammals was allowed only to monarchs. In the middle of the 19th century French diplomat Jean Pierre Armand David managed to persuade the Chinese emperor to take several individuals to Europe. He discovered that this is a species unknown to science. In England, rare artiodactyls, which were given the name of the discoverer, managed to be propagated. And the Chinese imperial park, unfortunately, became the place of death of deer. massive flood The Yellow River destroyed the walls of the park and flooded the forest. Almost all of the animals drowned, and those who managed to escape were killed during the Chinese uprising in the first year of the twentieth century. Rescued animals that lost their homeland miraculously survived in Europe.

Second World War did not spare them either. About 40 individuals remained - it was decided to return the deer to their native forests of China. The place of death has become a new habitat. Reserves were created for the "David's brainchildren", where about 1 thousand representatives of the species now live.

Characteristics, habitats, lifestyle

Observant Chinese gave a deer with a European name and another name - "xi lu xiang", "not like four" Who are we talking about? The fact is that outwardly the deer collected signs of several animals in its appearance:

  • hooves like a cow;
  • neck, almost like that of a camel;
  • deer horns;
  • donkey tail.

"Looks like it's not the same." The artiodactyl has a brown-brick color in summer, gray in winter. Height at the withers 140 cm, length up to 2 m, weight about 200 kg. The head is small, slightly elongated, the eyes are beads, the ears are almost triangular - sharp. "Horn" reaches king size- luxurious "crown" grows to almost 90 cm.

Attention! Deer of David - the owner of unique horns that other species do not have. The lower process is able to branch, forming up to 6 tips. The main "branches" are directed back.

Currently, "Xi Lu Xiang" lives only in zoos and protected reserves in China and Europe. The animal enjoys swimming. Enters the water "shoulder-deep" and can for a long time be in this position. Deer live in herds, the male, as a rule, has a "harem" of several females. The proud animal wins back its chosen ones during fierce fights with rivals during mating games. During the duel, horns, front legs and even teeth are used.

A beautiful representative of horned animals, fortunately, has been saved from extinction. Perhaps in the near future it will be possible to release animals into their native element - the wild.

Rare deer: video

Elaphurus davidianus) - rare view deer, is currently known only in captivity, where it slowly breeds in various zoos around the world and is introduced into a nature reserve in China. Zoologists suggest that this species originally lived in the swampy areas of northeastern China.

Description

Quite a large deer, body length is 150–215 cm, height at shoulder level is 115–140 cm, body weight is 150–200 kg, tail length is about 50 cm. summer time painted in ocher or reddish-brown color, the belly is light brown. In winter, the back becomes more woolly and changes color to gray-red, the belly becomes a bright cream color. One of the unique features of the species is the presence of long, wavy, year-round guard hairs (the long, stiff, thickest hairs of the fur coat). On the back along the spine there is a dark longitudinal stripe.

The head is unusually long and narrow, the eyes are small and expressive, and the ears are pointed at the end. The skin around the eyes and lips is light gray, and males have a small mane on the front of the neck. The legs are long; the hooves are wide, with a long heel part, can be widely moved apart, the lateral ones are well developed and touch the ground when walking on soft ground. In general, the hooves are well adapted for walking in swampy areas. The tail resembles a donkey, with a tassel at the end. The horns of males are large, rounded in cross section, unique among deer - in the middle part the main trunk branches, the processes are always directed backwards. Another unusual feature of the horns is that they can be changed twice a year - the first pair appears in the summer and sheds in November; the second pair appears in January (or may not appear) and is reset after a few weeks. The females do not have horns.

Story

In Europe, these deer first appeared in the middle of the 19th century thanks to the French priest, missionary and naturalist Armand David, who traveled to China and saw these deer in the closed and carefully guarded imperial garden. By that time in wild nature the deer had already died out, believed to be due to uncontrolled hunting during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In 1869, the Tongzhi Emperor donated several of these deer to France, Germany, and Great Britain. In France and Germany, the deer soon died, and in the UK they survived thanks to 11th Duke of Bedford who kept them on his estate Woburn(English) Woburn estate) . By that time, two events had occurred in China itself, as a result of which the remaining imperial deer were completely killed. In 1895, a flood occurred as a result of the flood of the Yellow River, and the frightened animals escaped into the resulting gap in the wall and then either drowned in the river or were destroyed by the peasants, who were left without crops. The remaining animals died during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. Further reproduction of David's deer comes from the 16 individuals remaining in the UK, which began to be gradually bred in various zoos around the world, including, starting from 1964, in the zoos of Moscow and St. Petersburg. By the 1930s, the population of the species was about 180 individuals, and now there are several hundred animals. In November 1985, a group of animals was introduced to the Daphyn Milu Nature Reserve. Dafeng Milu Reserve) near Beijing, where they presumably once lived.

Lifestyle

Unlike most other members of the family, David's deer likes to stay in the water for a long time and swims well. During the mating season, males arrange fights for the female, during the fight they use not only horns and teeth, but also their hind limbs. In conditions of keeping in open-air cages, many females carry no more than 2-3 calves in their life.

Gallery

    Elaphurus davidianus-Milu.jpg

    Elaphurus davidianus.jpg

    mi lu with winter corns.jpg

    Deer of David with winter antlers

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An excerpt characterizing the Deer of David

Petya did not know how long this went on: he enjoyed himself, was constantly surprised at his own pleasure and regretted that there was no one to tell him. Likhachev's gentle voice woke him up.
- Done, your honor, spread the guard in two.
Petya woke up.
- It's getting light, really, it's getting light! he cried.
Previously invisible horses became visible up to their tails, and a watery light was visible through the bare branches. Petya shook himself, jumped up, took out a ruble bill from his pocket and gave it to Likhachev, waved it, tried the saber and put it in its sheath. The Cossacks untie the horses and tighten the girths.
“Here is the commander,” said Likhachev. Denisov came out of the guardroom and, calling to Petya, ordered to get ready.

Quickly in the semi-darkness, they dismantled the horses, tightened the girths and sorted out the commands. Denisov stood at the guardhouse, giving his last orders. The infantry of the party, slapping a hundred feet, advanced along the road and quickly disappeared between the trees in the predawn fog. Esaul ordered something to the Cossacks. Petya kept his horse in line, impatiently waiting for the order to mount. washed cold water His face, especially his eyes, burned with fire, chills ran down his back, and something in his whole body trembled quickly and evenly.
- Well, are you all ready? Denisov said. - Come on horses.
The horses were given. Denisov was angry with the Cossack because the girths were weak, and, having scolded him, sat down. Petya took up the stirrup. The horse, out of habit, wanted to bite his leg, but Petya, not feeling his weight, quickly jumped into the saddle and, looking back at the hussars moving behind in the darkness, rode up to Denisov.
- Vasily Fyodorovich, will you entrust me with something? Please… for God's sake…” he said. Denisov seemed to have forgotten about the existence of Petya. He looked back at him.
“I’ll tell you about one thing,” he said sternly, “obey me and not meddle anywhere.
During the entire journey, Denisov did not say a word to Petya and rode in silence. When we arrived at the edge of the forest, the field was noticeably brighter. Denisov said something in a whisper to the esaul, and the Cossacks began to drive past Petya and Denisov. When they had all passed, Denisov touched his horse and rode downhill. Sitting on their haunches and gliding, the horses descended with their riders into the hollow. Petya rode next to Denisov. The trembling in his whole body grew stronger. It was getting lighter and lighter, only the fog hid distant objects. Driving down and looking back, Denisov nodded his head to the Cossack who was standing beside him.
- Signal! he said.
The Cossack raised his hand, a shot rang out. And at the same moment there was heard the clatter of galloping horses in front, shouts from different directions, and more shots.
At the same moment as the first sounds of trampling and screaming were heard, Petya, kicking his horse and releasing the reins, not listening to Denisov, who shouted at him, galloped forward. It seemed to Petya that it suddenly dawned brightly, like the middle of the day, at the moment a shot was heard. He jumped to the bridge. Cossacks galloped ahead along the road. On the bridge, he ran into a straggler Cossack and galloped on. There were some people in front—they must have been Frenchmen—running from the right side of the road to the left. One fell into the mud under the feet of Petya's horse.
Cossacks crowded around one hut, doing something. A terrible cry was heard from the middle of the crowd. Petya galloped up to this crowd, and the first thing he saw was the pale face of a Frenchman with a trembling lower jaw, holding on to the shaft of a pike pointed at him.
“Hurrah!.. Guys…ours…” Petya shouted and, giving the reins to the excited horse, galloped forward down the street.
Shots were heard ahead. Cossacks, hussars, and ragged Russian prisoners, who fled from both sides of the road, all shouted something loudly and incoherently. A young man, without a hat, with a red frown on his face, a Frenchman in a blue greatcoat fought off the hussars with a bayonet. When Petya jumped up, the Frenchman had already fallen. Late again, Petya flashed through his head, and he galloped to where frequent shots were heard. Shots were heard in the courtyard of the manor house where he had been last night with Dolokhov. The French sat there behind the wattle fence in a dense garden overgrown with bushes and fired at the Cossacks crowded at the gate. Approaching the gate, Petya, in the powder smoke, saw Dolokhov with a pale, greenish face, shouting something to people. "On the detour! Wait for the infantry!” he shouted as Petya rode up to him.
“Wait?.. Hurrah!” Petya shouted and, without a single minute's hesitation, galloped to the place where the shots were heard and where the powder smoke was thicker. A volley was heard, empty and slapped bullets screeched. The Cossacks and Dolokhov jumped after Petya through the gates of the house. The French, in the swaying thick smoke, some threw down their weapons and ran out of the bushes towards the Cossacks, others ran downhill to the pond. Petya galloped along the manor's yard on his horse and, instead of holding the reins, waved both hands strangely and quickly, and kept falling further and further from the saddle to one side. The horse, having run into a fire smoldering in the morning light, rested, and Petya fell heavily to the wet ground. The Cossacks saw how quickly his arms and legs twitched, despite the fact that his head did not move. The bullet pierced his head.
After talking with a senior French officer, who came out from behind the house with a handkerchief on a sword and announced that they were surrendering, Dolokhov got off his horse and went up to Petya, motionless, with his arms outstretched.
“Ready,” he said, frowning, and went through the gate to meet Denisov, who was coming towards him.