Axis Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Axis axis
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height: 80-100 cm (31-40 in)
Adult Stag Weight: 80 kg (176 lb)
HABITAT: In their native country of India, Axis deer are natural forest dwellers.
DISTRIBUTION: Indigenous throughout India and Sri Lanka.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least concern

Bactrian or Bukhara Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cervus elaphus bactrianus
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height 120 cm (47 in)
Adult Stag Weight 80 kg (176 lb)
HABITAT: Bactrian deer live in lowland riparian corridors of mixed deciduous Willow and poplar vegetation surrounded by deserts.
DISTRIBUTION: The Bactrian deer, also called the Bukhara deer, is a lowland subspecies of Red Deer that is native to central Asia.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable.

Barasingha

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rucervus duvaucelii
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height up to 132 cm or 52 inches
HABITAT: The Barasingha occupies a wide variety of forest types, including dry and moist deciduous forest, mangrove forest and evergreen forest, but its prime habitat in the past has been grasslands and reed beds bordering the major rivers in the northern part of its range.
DISTRIBUTION: The Barasingha is currently found in isolated localities in north and central India, and southwestern Nepal. It is extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable.

Chinese Water Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hydropotes inermis
Male: Buck / Female: Doe / Young: Fawn
Adult Buck Shoulder Height 50-55cm (19-21 in)
HABITAT: They frequent the tall reeds, rushes along rivers, and in tall grass on mountains and cultivated fields as well as swampy regions and open grasslands.
DISTRIBUTION: Water deer are indigenous to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, coastal Jiangsu province and islands of Zhejiang of east-central China, and in Korea, where the demilitarized zone has provided a protected habitat for a large number.
CONSERVATION STATUS: The British population is thought to account for 10% of the world's population. The population in China is considered to be 'Vulnerable'.

Fallow Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dama dama
Male: Buck / Female: Doe / Young: Fawn
Adult Buck Shoulder Height 81 – 91 cm (32-36 in)
HABITAT: Fallow have adapted to a range of habitats, however in Britain they prefer mixed patches of pastures and deciduous or mixed woodland
DISTRIBUTION: Indigenous to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe. Feral distribution includes the British Isles, many European Countries, North America, South America, Australasia, Africa and the West Indies.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least concern.

Hog Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Axis porcinus
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height 66-74 cm (26-29 in)
HABITAT: Hog deer favour grasslands and swampy areas, especially reed
beds and prairies crossed by streams and rivers.
DISTRIBUTION: Indigenous to North India, Burma and Sri Lanka.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered, decreasing.

Reeves Muntjac Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Muntiacus reevesi
Male: Buck / Female: Doe / Young: Fawn
Adult Buck Shoulder Height 45-50cm (17-19 in)
HABITAT: Reeves Muntjac can be found in the sub-tropical forests of southern China. In Britain however, they prefer small copses with plenty of cover.
DISTRIBUTION: Reeves Muntjac are just one of at least six species of Muntjac distributed throughout South East Asia. Originally from China, Reeves Muntjac were introduced to Britain around the beginning of the 20th Century.
CONSERVATION STATUS: No stats available.

Pere David

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Elapharus davidianus
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height: 114-122cm (45-48 in)
HABITAT: Very little is known about the natural habitat
of these deer. By the time they became known to the western world in 1865, they were already extinct in the wild
DISTRIBUTION: In captivity, over 400 at Woburn and found in zoos worldwide. Re-introduced to China in 1986.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Critically Endangered.

Red Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cervus elaphus
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height: 100-140com (40-55in)
HABITAT: Native to Britain, Red Deer would have been found many centuries ago dwelling in the great Caledonian forest that would have covered Scotland, however, due to mass deforestation and changing land use, these deer are more commonly found in upland, moorland areas, such as the Scottish Highlands.
DISTRIBUTION: Indigenous throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Feral distribution includes Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and the USA.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern, increasing.

Reindeer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rangifer tarandus caribou
Male: Bull / Female: Cow / Young: Calf
Adult Bull Shoulder Height: 112 cm (44 in).
HABITAT: Reindeer graze throughout the year in the permanently frozen grounds of the tundra. Tundra is the relatively flat land between the polar ice cap and the timberline, where the temperatures are too cold for trees to grow. Because of the tundra's constant frosty conditions, only shrubs, grasses and lichens survive there. Lichen, also referred to as reindeer moss, is similar to moss in appearance and is a combination of algae.
DISTRIBUTION: They are found in the wild in only two areas of the Fennoscandia peninsula of Northern Europe, in Finnish/Russian Karelia and there is a small population in central south Finland.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern, stable.

Roe Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Capreolus capreolus
Male: Buck / Female: Doe / Young: Fawn
Adult Buck Shoulder Height 65cm-78cm (25-29in)
HABITAT: Woodland, forest, grazing in forest clearings and adjoining fields.
DISTRIBUTION: Indigenous in the British Isles (excluding Ireland) and most European Countries. Roe have been reintroduced to Southern England.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern, increasing.

Sika Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cervus nippon
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height: 80cm to 100cm (31-40cm)
HABITAT: Sika live almost exclusively in forests and only venture on to
more open ground in search for food.
DISTRIBUTION: 13 subspecies indigenous throughout Eastern Asia. Feral in
many parts of Europe including large areas of Scotland.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern, increasing.

Wapiti

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cervus canadensis
Male: Bull / Female: Cow / Young: Calf
Adult Bull Shoulder Height:140cm to 150 cm (55-59 in).
HABITAT: Live in open country, forests and parklands, high country (mountains)
DISTRIBUTION: Wapiti or Elk have a wide range in North America and Asia and have been introduced into New Zealand and Australia.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern, stable.

White Lipped Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cervus przewalskium albirostris
Male: Stag / Female: Hind / Young: Calf
Adult Stag Shoulder Height: 115 to 140 cm (45 to 55 in).
HABITAT: Open, mountainous terrain, ranging from forest edges to grassland alpine meadows above the treeline. It is found at elevations of 3,500 to 5,100 metres (11,500 to 16,700 ft).
DISTRIBUTION: Tibetan Plateau in China, the Himalayas and the mountains of southwestern China
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable.

Asian Short Claw Otter

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Aonyx cinereus
Total Length: 65 - 100cm (1/3 of this is tail length)
HABITAT: It lives near streams, rivers, creeks, estuaries and coastal waters as well as in man-made irrigation ditches and rice fields.
DISTRIBUTION: In Asia it is found from the Philippines through Indonesia, South East Asia, Southern China and west wards through the Himalayan foothills of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. There is also an isolated population in Southern India.
CONSERVATION STATUS: No immediate threat of extinction, but loss of the Otter's habitat is occurring due to deforestation.

Highland Bullock

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Bos taurus taurus highland
THE DROVE ROADS: For many people, Highland Cattle are a living embodiment of something of what it means to be Scottish - a viable reminder of a way of life that has sadly long gone now. It is difficult today to fully appreciate the scale of the droves which formed the mass annual
pilgrimage of livestock from the islands and the north, eventually
converging like the host of side streams at market after weeks of journeying. But at the peak of the trade in 1850. Some 150,000 cattle were sold at the legendary summer “trysts” at Crieff and Falkirk.
CATTLE “REIVING”: Until the mid 1700’s much of the Scottish Highlands was beyond the direct control of government and King, with the clans effectively a law unto themselves. Stealing or “reiving” cattle from a rival clan or neighbour was commonplace, often happening at the end of Autumn when beasts were in peak condition after months of good grazing. The highest risk time was around the Michaelmas full moon of September which became known as “MacFarlane’s Lantern” in the fertile grazing lands south of Loch Lomond.
DID YOU KNOW?… Most Highland Cattle were originally BLACK until the now more familiar reddy-brown variants were exported from Glen Lyon in the mid 19th Century.
With their double coat of insulating hair, Highlanders (collective term for highland cattle) can calve in snow and survive temperatures as low as -20° C.

Red Fox

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vulpes vulpes
Total Length: 67 - 72cm (1/3 of this is tail length)
HABITAT: An adaptable scavenger found everywhere from the wildest countryside to busy city centres.
DISTRIBUTION: Distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern.

Soay Sheep

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ovis aries aries soay
HISTORY: Soay sheep are the only ancient sheep of Britain that are living in a truly wild state, and are only found on the islands of Soay and Hirta in the archipelago of St Kilda. This isolation has enabled the Soay to thrive for centuries. The origin of these animals is unclear but their forebearers were probably brought to Britain by Neolithic farmers. Another theory is that they were placed on the island of Soay by Vikings so that each year when the Vikings went raiding down the Western seaboard they could call in for fresh meat. However, the name Soay is Norse for sheep, so they knew this area as sheep island and the sheep may well have already been there when they first landed.
HARSH LIVING: Winters can be severe on St Kilda with strong winds, driving rain, short days and long hours of darkness. The sheep seek shelter in the hundreds of turf-capped stone structures called ‘cleitean’. With the turf keeping the rain out and the loose stones allowing a drying wind to blow through, they make ideal retreats. In the winter the sheep will only come out to graze on nearby grassland, whilst in the summer they form back into social groups often found on lower grasslands.
THE FUTURE: Soay are not managed in any way but their numbers fluctuate greatly. If it were possible to stabilise the population, should anyone be allowed to start managing such sheep when they have survived so long without the interference of man?

Scottish Wildcat

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Felis silvestris grampia
Total Length - 82 - 98cm (male) and 73 - 90cm (female)
HABITAT: Wildcats favour wooded landscapes with a mosaic of habitats especially semi-natural woodland, conifer plantation, scrub, moorland and pastureland. In Scotland they favour the ancient caledonian pine woods.
DISTRIBUTION: It is very difficult to determine the exact distribution of wildcat as many sightings are inconclusive as to whether the sighting is a true wildcat or a hybrid.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Concerned.

Wolves

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Canis lupus
HISTORY: Since the last ice age wild wolves could be found in Scotland. They would roam the woodland preying upon deer. Often they would eat live stock and this meant they suffered much persecution. In 1745 the last wild wolf in Scotland was hunted and killed. The loss of these animals would heavily affect the countryside!
OVERGRAZING: With no top predators left to eat deer their numbers grew and grew. Too many deer means that they eat and damage lots of woodland. This woodland is important not only to humans, but also to the other species which live there. With all these deer something had to be done?
DEER MANAGEMENT: The massive amounts of deer in Scotland gave rise to deer management. It is now down to humans to go out at certain times of the year and cull deer. Not many people like this practice but unfortunately due to the loss of wolves it is a must!

If only 260 years ago people realised how important wolves were for Scotland!!