Sika deer, also known as Japanese deer, fall into the ungulate family. They live in forested areas, although they adapt to other habitats as well. The small to medium-sized deer live at elevations ranging from sea level to more than 5,000 feet. The deer move to lower elevations when more than 10 inches of snow falls, according to the Natural Science Research Laboratory.
Sika deer grow up to about 43 inches in height. The deer sport short, wedge-shaped heads that appear lighter in color than the rest of their brown bodies. Some of the deer’s fur contains white spots. When the deer is startled, its distinctive white rump seems very evident. Males grow antlers with three to four points branching from each side. Female sika deer have black bumps on their foreheads in place of antlers. The deer live for up to 18 years in the wild.
Sika deer originally came from woodland areas with dense understory in southern Siberia and on nearby Hokkaido Island in Japan. The deer also existed on mainland Japan and China. Loss of habitat markedly diminished the herds, however. The deer were later introduced in the United States with populations existing in several states, including Maryland. The deer also exist in at least 12 counties in Texas, according to the National Science Research Laboratory.
The deer primarily eat during the night, relying on a variety of grasses, leaves, twigs and new growth found on woody plants. In Texas, the main food sources include live oak, wild plum, mustang grape, Texas sotol and greenbriar. The deer also eat grasses including wintergrass, meadow dropseed and fall switchgrass as well as fruits, grains and nuts.
In September and October, male sika deer, also known as bulls, get territorial and fight other males for their territory and the rights to keep a harem of females to mate with. This behavior is called a rut, with the strongest males maintaining and defending the biggest territories. The bucks dig up shallow pits with their antlers into which they urinate to mark their territory and keep other bulls out. When other bulls come too close, a fight may erupt, sometimes ending in death for one or possibly both of the bulls.
The bulls mate with the female elk in their harem during the fall rut. Females go through an almost eight-month-long gestation period after which a single fawn, and rarely, twins are born. The fawns stay with the mothers for the next year.
