All 6 Species Of Deer That Can Be Found In The UK - Only 2 Are Native

as I've covered many times on the channel before the UK has lost most of its large wild animals the UK used to be home to Links wolves and bears but today the largest land predator in the UK is the European Badger the majority of Britain's land Predators went extinct hundreds of years ago and this was mostly due down to hunting thankfully not all large land animals have gone extinct in the UK as there is still quite a healthy population of deer the UK is home to six different species of deer but only two of these are indigenous the other four species have been introduced over the years and over time they have become established in today's video I will be going through all six of these deer species and we'll start off with the two native species the Red Deer is one of the largest deer species in the world and it can be found over large parts of Europe it has also been introduced into other countries around the world such as Australia New Zealand the United States Canada and large parts of South America this species can be found over large parts of the UK but one of its major strongholds is Scotland this deer is the largest species in the UK as it stands around 1.37 M at the shoulder and it can weigh in at 225 kg the males are not to be messed with during the rut where they fight for territory and fight over females males often injure each other during this period and when the spring comes around usually a single calf is born these deer prefer to live on Morland and Mountain sides and this is why they're one of the most popular deer in the UK to go and see they're relatively easy to spot and they really are quite majestic creatures as all of their natural Predators have gone extinct in the UK they have little to fear and man is their only Predator the other native deer species in the UK is the r deer and this deer is quite a bit smaller than the Red Deer they can stand at around 75 CM at the shoulder and they max out at around 25 kg the r deer is the most common native deer in the UK and they are mostly solitary species they are found over the vast majority of the UK but they are absent from some parts of Wales and Northern Island their coats vary throughout the year but they appear most striking in the summer when their coat is a rusty red color both the male and the female Ro deer can bark when they're alarmed and it's quite an interesting sound for a deer to make other deer species can make similar sounds so if you're out on a walk and you hear a bark it's not necessarily a dog these deer are most often found in mixed areas of Woodland farmland and grassland and they've proven to be a very adaptable species now we've taken a look at the two native species of deer in the UK we can move on to the deer species that have been introduced the phow deer is a very beautiful species of deer and it's historically native to Turkey and the Italian and Balan peninsulas it is a relatively large deer and can stand up to 1.2 M at the shoulder and they max out at around 95 kg this species can be found over large parts of the UK but the majority of them are found in England this deer is known for its iconic spotted coat yet their coat changes with the seasons these these deer were first brought to Britain from the Western Mediterranean during the Roman period and they were mostly kept in enclosures and in Deer Parks these deer went extinct in Britain following the collapse of the Roman Empire but eventually they were reintroduced in the 11th century from the Eastern Mediterranean originally they were only kept in Deer Parks but eventually they found their way into the wild and even though they are non-native they are considered naturalized I think it's safe to say that the fallow deer is one of the most most beautiful species of deer in the UK and they do have a very interesting history the next introduced deer we will be taking a look at is the sea deer the sea deer is also known as the Japanese deer and it does originate from Japan and other parts of East Asia today it can be found over large parts of the UK but it seems to have a stronghold in Northern Ireland and Scotland just like the phow deer the Seeker deer is known for having a spotted coat but it is a little bit smaller than the phow deer they stand around 95 CM at the shoulder and they can weigh up to 70 kg these deer were introduced into Britain from Asia in 1860 and at first they were kept in Deer Parks eventually some of these deer escaped and multiplied in the wild and as there are no large predators in the UK I'm sure that they enjoyed their new home in some areas such as Scotland they can cause problems as they have been known to hybridize with red deer these hybrids are found in areas where where the ranges of sea deer and red deer overlap and the UK is one of the few places where these hybrids naturally occur strangely these deer aren't the only deer in the UK that originate from Asia as our final two species can be found in China and Korea the Chinese munjack is arguably the most interesting species of deer in the UK and this is mostly due down to its size and appearance the munjack is the smallest species of deer in the UK and it is also quite stocky it me is around 55 CM at the shoulder and it can weigh up to 18 kg not only is the munjack not native to the UK but since 2019 they have also been classified as an invasive species these deer were first introduced into the UK from China in the 20th century and they were kept in wurn park in bedfordshire some were deliberately released from wurn and some individuals escaped today they are now widespread and they are increasing in number but they're most L limited to England as these deer are so small they're very Elusive and just like the row deer they are able to bark the munjack is a mostly solitary species and only really causes damage by feeding on crops and breaking into allotments as this species is so small they are considered to be the cutest deer in the UK and I was personally shocked when I spotted one recently the final species of deer we will be taking a look at is possibly the strangest and it's known as the water deer the water deer has two subspecies the Chinese water deer and the Korean water deer the Chinese water deer is the subspecies that's found in the UK and they're only found in Central and Eastern England these deer were first kept at London Zoo in 1873 but some escaped from whipsnade zoo in 1929 their numbers increased through introductions at Deer parks and today the British population is thought to account for around 10% of the world's total as you might be able to guess from their name they prefer Wetland habitats but they can also be found in open Woodlands they are sometimes referred to as the vampire deer and this is all because of their large K9 teeth these teeth can measure up to 8 cm long and they're used as Weapons when the males fight the Chinese water deer is another relatively small species as they measure up to 65 cm at the shoulder and they can weigh up to 18 kg they have quite a thick fur that gives them a Teddy bear-like appearance and this is part of the reason why they are so loved you could argue that the reindeer should be on this list as the UK is home to a few wild reindeer these reindeer can be found in Scotland and there are around 150 individuals this is Britain's only free ranging herd of reindeer but as they are tame I wouldn't class them as truly wild this is why I haven't included them on the list but the UK is technically home to reindeer 2o let me know which of these deer species is your favorite down in the comments below and I'd be interested to find out if anyone had seen all of these species in the UK but for now thanks for watching I hope you enjoyed if you liked it please leave a like And subscribe if you want to see more videos like these but until next time goodbye

Channel: Tsuki

Views: 91,954

Keywords: tsuki, animal, animals, wild, wildlife, british deer, british deer species, all deer found in th UK, UK, british wildlife, education, educational, deer, roe deer, red deer, fallow deer, chinese water deer, british mammals, british deer society, deer species in britain, deer species uk, muntjac deer, deer species similarities, deer species comparison, wild british deer, british mammal guide, deer species differences, what species of deer live in the uk, sika deer, british, uk deer

Id: DD7a2x2tXCA

Length: 8min 26sec (506 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 02 2024