Chinese Water Deer
Hydropotes inermis
Chinese Water Deer are russet brown with large round fluffy ears and a small black nose which gives them a curious teddy bear like appearance. They grow to 50-55cm tall, weigh 11-18kg, and they grow canine tusks which the males use when rutting with other males in the breeding season.
Habitat
Wet, marshy habitats in coastal areas and alongside rivers, deciduous woodland, grassland, arable land and in urban gardens.
Behaviour
They are strong swimmers. They are territorial, using scent marking and dung piles to mark their territories. Water Deer do not form herds, but prefer to be solitary or in family groups.
UK Status
They are threatened in China, and are on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable.
Diet
Grasses, herbs, weeds and some browse. They have a preference for common comfrey. They feed mostly at dawn and dusk.
Threats
No natural predators in the UK although the fawns can be preyed upon by foxes, and the can succumb to road mortality.
Distribution
They are an introduced species to the UK, native to parts of East Asia. They occur throughout Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Wildwood inside information
Our Chinese Water Deer is called Melton and came to us in September 2023.
Family facts
- Both the males and the females grow tusks, although they are more pronounced in the males. They are known as vampire deer because of their tusks.
- Males are called bucks, females are called does, and the young are called fawns.
Distribution
They are an introduced species to the UK, native to parts of East Asia. They occur throughout Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.