Fallow Deer
Dama dama
Distribution:
Southern Europe and Southwest Asia. Introduced populations in South America, United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat:
Woodlands, grasslands, parkland.
Diet:
Grass, vegetation, acorns and nuts.
Gestation:
230 days, one fawn born
Longevity:
8 - 10 years in the wild, 12 - 16 years in captivity.
Predators:
In New Zealand, humans. In other places, wolf, lynx and bear (all greatly reduced in range due to human predation)
Conservation Status:
Least concern
General:
Prized for many years as an ornamental species, the Fallow deer has a range of coat colors, from red, black, and brown to pure white. Adults have the same appearance as fawns, with white spots covering their dark chestnut coats.
Communicating with body language, vocalizations, and smells. Vocalizations are of six different types: barking, bleating, peeping, wailing, groaning, and rutting.
Fallow deer are a social species, roaming in herds, which are usually divided into two - females with fawns together and males in another group. Males and females only come together during the breeding season.
Fun fact: A fawn takes its first steps before it is thirty minutes old!
At Hamilton Zoo:
You can find our fallow deer at the bottom of the savannah near the bison, aside from Daryl, who can be found in with the goats in the farmyard area.
Females:
Mystique - 22/11/20
Evee - 22/11/20
Cleo - 30/11/20
Males:
George - 25/11/20
Joe - 27/11/20
Alan - 13/12/20
Daryl - 13/12/18