# 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.

- **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.

## About

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....

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/69f7a01b-0140-41b0-b8f1-86ccb4f017da
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42184
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capreolus capreolus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/259889025/medium.jpeg (Sylvain Eichhorn, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.