The European Fallow Deer (Dama dama) is a mid-sized European ungulate featured in the Europe Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population in the Wild: Unknown
The European fallow deer (or Dama dama) is an ungulate found in grasslands and woodlands throughout Europe. The coat is tan with rows of white spots on the body, with a pale underside and throat, although there are various morphs such as leucism (white), melanism (black), and menil (paler coat without tail markings) occurring in European fallow deer as well. Males, called bucks, have large palmate antlers which span an average length of 60cm (24in) when fully developed, whereas females, called does, do not. Bucks are larger than does, with a head-body length of 1.4m to 1.6m (4.6ft to 5.3ft) and shoulder height of 0.85m to 0.95m (2.8ft to 3.14ft); while the does are 1.3m to 1.5m (4.29ft to 4.95ft) long with a shoulder height of 0.75m to 0.85m (2.48ft to 2.8ft).
The European fallow deer is not endangered. However, the last truly native populations of European fallow deer in Turkey are suffering a significant decline due to habitat loss and poaching.
Social[]
European fallow deer live in loose herds, which can be composed of multiple group types: Mixed groups, composed of non-dominant males, females, and juveniles; bachelor groups, composed of juvenile males and young adult males or solitary males. Group composition and numbers change depending on food availability and the time of year. For example, there are more breeding groups during the wet season.
Reproduction[]
There are several different mating systems observed in European fallow deer, depending on habitat, environmental conditions, and population density. The most common strategy is lekking, where bucks congregate in small groups of up to 6 individuals, known as leks. Leks protect a territory which does will visit in order to mate, and bucks within a lek will compete in mating displays such as standoffs, charges, and antler clashing in the hope to win them over.
Fertile does usually choose to mate with the buck with the largest antlers in a lek, or the winner of the mating displays. Should a doe fail to mate while fertile, her oestrus cycle will restart, which may happen up to 6 times during the mating season.
After successful copulation, the doe will be pregnant for 234 days on average, after which she will give birth to a single fawn, rarely twins. She will leave the herd for the birth, hiding her fawn in the undergrowth, and regularly returning to feed it. 10 days after birth she will return to the herd with her fawn, which will begin eating grass at this point. Once it is 4 months old, the doe will begin weaning her fawn, which will be completed once it is 7 months old. At this time, she is likely to be ready to mate again.
By 1 year of age fawns are independent, and become sexually mature at around 16 months old. Young does are likely to mate for the first time at this age, bucks however are unlikely to secure a mate until they are around 4 years old, when their antlers are fully developed.
Animal Care[]
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Hay · Herbivore Pellets · Fruit and Vegetables | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- European fallow deer have excellent eyesight and hearing and can detect very slight movements in their surroundings which helps them avoid predation.
- The antlers of the European fallow deer can be up to 60cm long and are shed every year
- A fallow deer fawn can start walking 30 minutes after birth.
- While the antlers of the European fallow deer are growing, they are covered in 'velvet'. When growth is complete, the velvet is shed and antlers may temporarily have a tattered appearance.
- While a species of fallow deer was native to Europe before the last ice age, the European fallow deer is thought to be native to Turkey, Italy, and Greece. It is suspected the Romans spread this species throughout the continent during their rule. Nowadays European fallow deer have been introduced to countries around the world.
Other Trivia[]
- In the 1.8.1 Update, the European fallow deer was made a walkabout animal.
- The European fallow deer is also known as the “Fallow deer” and the “jelen lopatar”, which means “shovel deer” in Serbo-Croatian.
Gallery[]
