DEER
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Species: Chordata Mammalia Artiodactyla Cervidae

Like Antelopes and cattle, deer are ruminants, animals that chew cud, but they are distinguished by their antlers, which are generally branched. Usually, only the male deer have antlers, but both sexes of caribou have them. Male deer, usually called stags or bucks, are generally noticeably larger than the females, which are known as does or hinds.

The antlers are shed each year, but buds soon appear on the skull and grow into tender stumps. These grow into new antlers within a few months. They are initially covered by "velvet," a layer of soft, hair-covered skin. When the antlers are fully grown, t he skin peels away or is rubbed off by the deer. The tough antlers are then used to defend territory or, in the mating season, to fight to gain possession of females. Occasionally, the antlers of two warring deer become completely interlocked. Being incap able of breaking away, they finally die of starvation. Each year's antlers are larger than those of the year before, until the animal is fully mature.

Deer are found throughout the Americas and Eurasia. Most deer are forest-dwellers, grazers, and browsers. They are graceful creatures, noted for their speed and their agility when jumping over obstacles. Deer vary in size from small species, such as the p udu of South America, to the huge giant moose of Alaska.

Deer readily grow in numbers if they are not checked. Large, fast-increasing populations can cause great damage to tree plantations and to crops. The deer are then regarded as pests and herds are reduced in numbers by hunting.