Deer, Sika

Physical Features

The Sika Deer got its name from a Japanese word “shika” which means Deer. It is also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer. It's fur color ranges from mahogany to black although some white individuals do exist. The coat darkens, becomes shaggier and its spots become less prominent and a mane forms on the back of the males' necks. Sika stags have solid, erect antlers with added buttress up from the brow tine and a thick wall. The Female Sikas have a pair of black bumps on the forehead. They have a height of 50 to 95cm/20-37in and weigh 30–70 kg/66-150lb but the males are larger than the females. Their Antlers range from 28cm to 80cm/11 to 30 inches in length. All of them are compact and dainty-legged with short, trim, wedge-shaped heads and a boisterous disposition. They will display a distinctive flared rump like the American Elk when alarmed. The Sika Deer is one of the few deer species that does not lose its spots upon reaching maturity.

Habitat

Sika Deer inhabit temperate and subtropical forests of Eastern Asia preferably in areas with dense understory, snowfall of less than 10cm to 20cm and forage in patchy clearings of forests. This species of deer was native to East Asia and was introduced to various parts of the world including: Western and Central Europe, Eastern United States, and New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Britain, France, Ireland, Jolo Island (southern Philippines), New Zealand, Poland, Morocco and the United States (Maryland, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Kansas). Those that were originally found from northern Vietnam in the south to the Russian Far East in the north are at danger of becoming extinct in those areas, apart from Japan where the species is abundant.

Diet

Sika Deer are herbivorous and they primarily eat grasses and marsh vegetation, but they will also eat agricultural crops like corn and soybeans. This can make them a pest in largely agricultural areas. Sika Deer are intermediate feeders, which means that they have a digestive system that allows them to eat a wide variety of plants. Their digestion requires about six feeding periods a day. They digest food more quickly than cows, which are grazers, and they eat less frequently than White-tail Deer, which are browsers.

Meat

Sika Deer meat is low in fat, calories and cholesterol. Venison is darker red and more richly flavored with a distinct gamey taste similar to beef. It provided an important source of protein for Native Americans and early European settlers. Their hides were used in the making of buckskin jackets, moccasins and other leather items. It is regarded as a predominantly prized and elusive animal and very challenging for sport hunters due to it's wariness and 'cleverness' which makes it more difficult to capture than other deer. Velvet antler is used to make traditional Chinese medicine.

Behavior

Sika Deer are active through the day but human disturbance can make them become nocturnal. During the breeding season that runs from September to October, the male keeps a harem of females and protects their territory aggressively. They mark the boundaries of their territories with shallow scrapes which they then urinate on to mark their scent. Females give birth to a single calf between May and June after a gestation period of 7 months. The calves are weaned between 8-10 months. Their lifespan is between 10-18 years in the wild. Sika Deer have over 10 individual sounds ranging from soft whistles to loud screams.

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