RED DEER
Exmoor is unique in England as red deer have lived there since pre-historic times. Elsewhere they became extinct because people killed them for meat (venison) or because they ate farmers' crops. They have been re-introduced in some areas. There are a few thousand in North Devon and West Somerset, living on the moor and using the woods as a place of safety.
Red deer are the largest wild land animals in England these days Adult stags stand 115 cm at the shoulder. Hinds are about 15 cm less. Only stags grow antlers. They shed them in April and early May and new ones start to grow immediately. As the stag gets older the antlers have more 'points' until they reach old age and start to 'go back'.
Calves are born in June and July, and are usually dropped in moorland vegetation or by the edge of woodland. A single calf is normal and twins very rare For a few days the calf will lie quietly, well-camouflaged with dappled spots on its russet coat looking like sunlight on dead bracken. Soon it is strong enough to run with its mother and join the herd. They keep together for a year or more.
Red deer eat a wide variety of food, including young shoots of heather, whortleberry, brambles, saplings and grass. They also feed on acorns, fungi, berries and ivy and can be a real pest to the farmer, raiding his fields for corn and root crops. They have eight biting teeth in front of the lower jaw, and none immediately above, biting against a hard gum pad. Footprints are called 'slots'.