Western Roe Deer
Capreolus capreolus
They are the only hoofed mammals to exhibit embryonic diapause, delaying embryo development so fawns are born during the lush spring.
- Scientific name
- Capreolus capreolus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Artiodactyla › Cervidae › Capreolus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous, coniferous, and mixed woodlands, forest edges, meadows, and agricultural land.
- Diet
- Selective browser feeding on young leaves, shoots, grasses, berries, herbs, and fungi.
- Range
- Europe, Asia Minor, Caspian region
- Size
- Shoulder height of 60-75 cm, weight of 15-35 kg
- Lifespan
- 10 to 15 years in the wild
- Active
- crepuscular
- Threats
- Vehicle collisions, habitat fragmentation, predation by feral dogs, and unregulated hunting.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and highly timid. Observe from a distance of at least 50 meters to avoid startling them. If you find a lone fawn hidden in tall grass, do not touch or move it; its mother is foraging nearby and will return.
The European roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ), also known as the western roe deer , chevreuil , or simply roe deer or roe , is a Eurasian species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck . The roe deer is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. The species is widespread in Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia and from Britain to the Caucasus and east to northern Iran and Iraq....
Photo: Sylvain Eichhorn, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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