Deer

Scientific name/s: Species dependent

Dama dama
Cervus elaphus
Rusa unicolor (previously Cervus unicolor)
Cervus timorensis
Cervus axis
Axis porcinus

Common name/s: (in order of the above)

Fallow Deer
Red Deer
Sambar Deer
Rusa Deer
Chital Deer
Hog Deer

History:

All deer species within Australia were introduced at various times by early European settlers as a means for hunting, the same as they would in their homeland. The difference being that in their homeland the deer were native.

Some species were also at points in time given as gifts either to the state or by royalty at the time, traded, imported for personal deer farms/pets or brought over by acclimatisation societies whose aim was to “share the most beautiful and useful things”. There is even proof of a deer park that existed in the Royal National Park.

Regardless of how each species came to be in Australia over time deer either escaped containment, were released intently or failed to become hunted. The Australian landscape proved to be perfect for these animals who thrived in the landscape given the plentiful amount of greenery and the lack of predators.

Other species of deer were brought over also; however, their survival was short lived. This may have been due to only a small number being brought over, the environment was too different from their native homeland, hunting pressures or sickness.

Ecology:

The native home land of each species varies somewhat. Sambar, Hog and Chital are all native to India, Nepal or Sri Lanka. Meanwhile Rusa are found in Indonesia.

Where as Red deer and Fallow can be found across Europe.

All species feed on a wide range of trees, grasses, fruits and barks. However, they tend to go for the younger more tender parts of the plant.

From a size perspective each species varies greatly and the same goes for appearance both in terms of colour, coat length and antlers. Sexual dimorphism (appearance of male vs female) also changes between the 6 species and as does what they are called.

Males can be called stags or bucks depending on the species and females does or hinds.

Each species also have their own breeding seasons. Fallow and Reds are usually around April/May, Rusa are June/July, Sambar don’t really have a defined breeding season same as Chital, while Hog deer vary year to year.

Here is a breakdown of each:

Sambar:

The largest of the 6 species found in Australia, Sambar weighs in at around 300kg for a full-grown stag and stand up to 130cm versus a hind which weighs in at around 230kg and is about 115cm tall.

Sambar have a thick brown -dark drown almost black hide which changes to a lighter buff tone on the inner legs, chin and underbody.

Sambar are know for being a very shy species and not typically very vocal if at all during the breeding season (or rut as it is also known)

Rusa:

Are closely related to the Sambar. However, they are more of a medium sized deer being Australia’s third largest deer species with a rough grey-brown coat. There are 2 species of Rusa within Australia, these being the Javan and Moluccan, with the Javan being the larger and more common of the 2.

Javan Rusa stags stand up to 110cm and weigh in around 135kg versus the hinds which stand at 95cm and weigh typically around the 80kg mark.

Rusa stags have large antlers in comparison to the body size and can be very vocal during breeding. During breeding stags will also accumulate vegetation within their antlers to form almost a crown like structure.

Red deer:

These guys are Australia’s second largest species of deer and as the name suggests boasts a red almost rusty brown coloured coat, with some grey around the neck area and lower parts.

Stags usually sit around the 160kg range and stand around 120cm tall, on the other hand hinds are smaller at 90kg and somewhere in the vicinity of 90cm tall. This species is very vocal during the breeding season or roar as it called for this species. It is called the roar due to the sound rivalling that of a lion, it its very impressive and hair standing to say the least.

Red deer males also grow a very impressive piece of head gear, with regards to antlers.

Fallow:

Fallow are the only deer species within Australia to come in three different coat colours. There is the typical brown and white with small white spots, a deep chocolate almost black and on very rare occasions white.

Fallow are usually found in larger groups in comparison to other species. Male Fallow (or bucks) weigh 90kg and are around 90cm tall versus the females (or doe/s) which sit around 40kg and 76cm tall.

Fallow also don’t have your typical antler for deer and have a more moose like appearance. This is also known as palmated. During breeding season (or croak) for Fallow, males are very vocal.

Chital:

Chital are a stunning species of deer regarding their looks. Their coat is a red, almost chestnut colour with fine white spots. They also have a white upper throat and black stripe running down their back.

Stags are around the 80kg and 85cm tall, while hinds are 60kg and 80cm tall. Chital show strong herding instincts, herds are usually accompanied by 2-3 stags. They are more commonly found in tropical areas of Australia but small groups are found in subtropical areas.

They aren’t an overly vocal species but they will let out a very high pitch cry as an alarming sound.

Hog:

These are the smallest deer found in Australia. Stags stand at 70cm tall and around 50kg, hinds on the other hand are around 60cm tall and 30kg. Similar size to a large breed dog.

Their coat colour is a lighter brown but is known to change during summer to a red-brown colour, they also have white hairs on the underside of their tails which they use as an alarm display when a threat is present.

They are not very commonly found within Australia either in comparison to the others and are found in pairs or solitary.

Impacts:

All deer within Australia cause similar issues. These issues include consuming native vegetation and therefore outcompeting native animals, consuming agricultural crops, destroying fences, scrapping the bark off trees with their antlers during the breeding season and also proving to be a large threat to motorists in relation to impacts with cars.

They can also act as carriers for diseases and parasites; however, this isn’t very typical or as bad as once thought.

Control Methods:

Ground based shooting would be the most popular means for deer control. Usually done under the cover of darkness using thermal or night vision scopes. It is done at this time as its typically when deer are most active, however effective shooting can also take place during the day.

Trapping is another means, although this isn’t too common.

Hear a Fallow Deer call below!