It is known that the life expectancy of roe deer on average is about fifteen years. The approximate age of this animal can be determined by some outward signs. For example, a young individual has a slender long neck, a vigorous tread and a raised head. The old male has a thicker neck, a heavier body and a slightly bowed head, as well as clumsy and slow movements. In a slaughtered animal, the exact age can be recognized only by the lower jaw, and the approximate one can be found by the cranial sutures and thickness of the outgrowths. It is known that the older the animal, the molars are more worn out, etc. There is another way to determine the age of the animal - by the horns.

What kind of horns does a roe deer have and when does it drop them? And how to determine age from them? The answers to these questions can be found in this article, having got acquainted with the information presented in it.

Bit of history

The roots of the genus Capreolus Gray lead to the Miocene muntzhaks belonging to the subfamily Cervulinae. In the Upper Miocene – Lower Pliocene period, a group of forms that were similar in some respects to modern roe deer (the genus Procapreolus Schloss) already lived in Europe and Asia. Closer to them is the genus Pliocervus Hilzh (Middle Pliocene).

The genus Capreolus dates back to approximately the Upper Pliocene or the Lower Pleistocene, and the existence of the species Capreolus capreolus (European roe deer) at the end of the Ice Age has been reliably established.

In the relatively recent past, the habitat of roe deer (photo of the animal is presented in the article) in temperate latitudes was solid. The zone of the greatest abundance of this animal covers areas with a depth of snow not exceeding ten to twenty centimeters. In connection with predatory extermination in the years before the revolution, the habitat of these animals fell apart. Only as a result of certain measures roe deer last years again began to populate areas where she had been absent for several decades.

Today this animal inhabits the territories of European countries up to Scandinavia and the Gulf of Finland. Roe deer inhabit the vast expanses of Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic republics. Crimea, the Urals, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Tien Shan and Altai, Siberia, Korea, Northern Mongolia and northeastern China are also the natural habitat of this animal.

Although it covers the habitat of roe deer for vast territories, their ubiquitous (continuous) settlement in these parts is not observed. Where roe deer live, extensive forest-steppes and deciduous light forests with large meadows covered with dense grass stretch. Under the influence of an active attack of man on forest-steppe areas (both in Europe and in most regions of Asia), as well as in connection with the occupation of vast lands for land for agriculture, roe deer began to be pushed farther and farther into mixed forests (except for taiga zones).

On the territory of the southern borders of the range, roe deer have taken root well in mountain forests, in reed and shrubbery, in lake reeds and forest plantations, on farmland fields, and so on.

Description

The second name of the roe deer is a wild goat. The animal has a relatively short body, with its rear part slightly higher and thicker than the front. An adult male reaches 32 kilograms with a height of up to 126 centimeters. The average height at the withers is 66-81 cm. The female roe deer is smaller than the male, and sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed.

The head of the roe deer has a short and wedge-shaped, narrowed in the direction of the nose shape. Oval-shaped long ears have a noticeable sharpening. Large eyes are slightly convex and have oblique pupils. The legs of the animal are long and thin, with short and narrow hooves.

The color of roe deer wool (photo of the animal is presented in the article) is different in summer and winter. In the warm season, its coat color can be from gray to reddish-brown, and in the cold - brownish-gray. The lower body is generally lighter than the upper. In addition to the habitually painted roe deer, black, white and mottled are sometimes found.

Life span

In vivo, roe deer have a lifespan of about fifteen years, as noted above, but hardly any of them can reach this age in the wild.

Even the most experienced and cautious animals are likely to die for a variety of reasons. To a greater extent, they are shot back by hunters and do not even live to half the maximum age.

More about horns

Roe horns are divided into two types according to their structure:

1. Horns of a European look. In size, they are small (usually equal to the length of the skull) and their trunks, located vertically, are directed almost parallel to each other. On such horns, usually no more than three processes. One of them (front) is directed forward, the second is back, and the third, representing the end of the horn, is up. At the base there are large rosettes (bone growths) with a complex surface, on which tubercles (pearls or pearls) are developed. The length of the horns is more than thirty centimeters.
2. Deer horns of the Siberian type. In size, they are much larger (more than 45 centimeters). The horns are set wider and diverge more to the sides. Their tops often bend inward towards each other, and the posterior processes at the ends bifurcate. The anterior processes are directed inward. In Siberian roes, rosettes are less developed, but wider than in European roes, and do not touch. Their tuberosity is less dense, but the tubercles are higher and larger (similar to processes). Each horn has three to five processes.

When do roes drop horns?

Roe deer, like deer, on winter time dump their horns. They develop in the following sequence. In male goat kids, the first horns appear in the first year of life, in the fall (October-November). These are low bone processes ("pipes"), covered with skin. By the spring of next year (April-May) they grow a little higher than the ears and already represent unbranched thick “pins”, which, after peeling, become smooth and pointed (“rods”). The males wear them until December-January, after which the first horns fall away and only stumps overgrowing with skin remain on the skull.

After about two months (in the spring), the horns of young roe males again begin to grow, but larger and also covered in skin. They are fully formed by the summer and have already 2-3 processes. Around the middle of summer (the beginning of the rutting season), the horns are again cleared of “velvet”. and from the horns of adults, they differ only in a thinner stem and processes, as well as a weakly visible outlet. At the age of more than 2 years (November-December of the third year), the second horns are also discarded. And again they have hemp overgrown with skin, and again they form until the next year. The last horns no longer differ from the horns of older individuals. There is a cyclical shift annually, but the number of processes is no longer added. They only become more embossed. In old goats, a change in the shape of the horns and a decrease in their weight can be observed.

About the age of the animal

How to determine the age of the roe deer or sex by the horns? It is not difficult to determine the sex of the animal, especially in the summer, since males have them during this period. And how to determine the age?

With this, things are a little worse, although this is quite an important point in the use of roe deer for domestic purposes. In an animal that is more than two years old, the exact age is more difficult to determine, especially at a distance. And yet, roe horns are one of the most reliable indicators in determining its age. This is especially true for the height of the bases of the horns. Due to the fact that they are dumped annually, this indicator decreases every year.

In the case when the horns of the male are “planted” on the skull and covered with hair, this suggests that the individual is old. Another indicator of the male’s old age is the presence of processes on the horns. This is a sign that the horns are not the first. Adult individuals always have processes on the horns, and the rods of their horns are thick.

The age indicator is the discharge of horns. The first to drop them are adult males. In them, this happens about three weeks earlier than the new horns of young individuals grow and scrub off the skin. In addition to all this, in old animals horns are fully formed by the end of February, and in males of middle age - by about mid-March. In young individuals, in March, their development only begins.

Trophy Roe Horns

In addition to the skin and meat of the hunted beast, its horns are also valuable. Among the many trophy collections among hunters, the exhibits of ungulates, including roe deer, are the most valuable. Horns with skulls, and even obtained with their own hands, are the pride of every hunter. Most often, specialists make trophies. However, if desired, everyone can independently make a quality skull trophy.

Many products of roe deer horns adorn hunting rooms, however there are also people who collect horns and take part in various exhibitions. Before processing the trophy, the hunter must take care of him immediately, at the place of hunting.

Most often, people who do not have the necessary skills do the wrong thing and damage the skull and horns during transportation. There are internationally accepted trophy requirements.

How are graded?

Horns are one of the most significant trophies. However, each of the exhibits is unique and different in its qualities and characteristics. In this regard, the question arises: how to properly evaluate them? To this end, in 1952, in Madrid at the International Congress of Hunters, a methodology for assessing hunting trophies was adopted. In Copenhagen in 1955 at the International Hunting Council, some additions and changes were made to the methodology that was adopted earlier.

When scores of roe deer horns are scored, weight, thickness, length, number of processes, color and other indicators are taken into account. Linear measurements are made in centimeters and millimeters, and weight in grams and kilograms. The collapse and span of the horns are calculated by the ratio of the distance between them to the average value of the size of the right and left horns. Then the measurement values \u200b\u200bare multiplied by the coefficients set for each part. The maximum coefficient has an indicator of the mass of the horn. Information about the measurements obtained is recorded in a special trophy sheet, which indicates the data of the person who killed the beast, the date and place of prey, the total and net weight of the animal. The signature on the trophy sheet is put by all representatives of the commission evaluating the trophy, and the document is certified by the seal of the hunting farm where it was obtained.

Some interesting facts

The following is noteworthy:

1. As a rule, each horn of an adult wild goat has no more than three processes. The animal acquires such horns in a rather short period of time, and its further exact age (after complete formation of the horns) is rather difficult to determine by the horns.
2. Some individuals have an abnormality in the development of these processes. Roe antlers begin to develop at the age of 4 months. European females are usually hornless, but some are found with ugly horns.
3. The tone of the color of the horns depends on the health of the animal and the food it takes, as well as on the species of woody plant, on the trunk of which the roe deer peels the skin from its processes. For example, the tannin contained in the oak bark gives them a dark brown color.
4. Horns of the same area, as a rule, are similar to each other. For example, all Central European age males have rather close corollas, which often touch and interfere with each other's development. And on the other hand, the roe deer of Siberia (Altai) horns are very different from the Central European. Their corollas are much smaller, do not touch, and are even approximately five centimeters apart, and the antlers themselves, having a bend characteristic of a deer, reach a large length and branch in a peculiar way.
5. There is some suggestion that the name of this animal is associated with the structure of its eyes, whose pupils are slanted, and the color is necessarily brown. The flirty eyes of the roe deer have long and fluffy upper eyelashes. Small lacrimal openings are disproportionate and they are expressed by shallow six-millimeter hollows without wool in the form of a triangle.
6. For vague reasons, males sometimes grow abnormal horns that do not have processes. It is known that such individuals are very dangerous for their relatives, since during the ritual battles their horns can pierce the opponent through and through.

It is also important to note that roe deer is the oldest representative of deer. Archaeologists have found the remains of animals similar to them, belonging to individuals that lived on Earth about forty million years ago.

Finally

When determining the age of an animal by its horns, the following should be taken into account: the physical state of an individual has a rather strong influence on their formation. If it is at a sufficiently high level, then the development of horns will occur earlier, and this can create the appearance that the animal is much older than in reality.

Roe deer are one of the smallest representatives of the deer family in the artiodactyl squad. Being close relatives of deer and fallow deer, these animals derive their name from completely unrelated goats. With the latter they are brought together only by size, not by appearance. Until the end of the 20th century, it was believed that in the world there was only one species of roe deer with two subspecies. Currently, these subspecies are considered as two independent species - European and Siberian roe deer.

Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) at the beginning of spring molt. The growing horns of males at this time are still covered with skin, therefore they appear thick and velvety.

The appearance of these animals is typical of deer: a graceful body on high legs, a short tail, a neck arched by a light arc, giving a proud posture, and a small shortened head, which males are crowned with a pair of horns. Compared to deer, roe horns look shorter and do not branch out so much. At their base, bumps and warts are often noticeable.

Sometimes individuals with ugly or different-sized horns come across.

Females are almost always hornless, while males grow horns in late winter - early spring, persist until October, and then fall off. The color of the fur is the same for both sexes, but prone to seasonal dimorphism. In summer, roe deer are monochromatic with a white spot (the so-called mirror) on the croup, and by winter they turn gray, and the mirror stands out more during this period. In some populations there are individuals with black or gray summer fur. It is also noteworthy that both types of roe look the same. The only sign by which they can be distinguished is size. European roe deer reaches 60-80 cm at the withers with a body weight of 20-37 kg, Siberian roe deer is noticeably larger: its height reaches 80-94 cm at the withers with a weight of 32-60 kg.

Male European Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) in a summer outfit.

The range of European roe deer covers the whole of continental Europe, Great Britain, as well as Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Iran. Its eastern border runs along the Volga and closely approaches the western border of the range of Siberian roe deer, which, in addition to the expanses of Siberia, also Far East, the north of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, in some areas of Tibet and China. In the areas of overlapping habitats, European and Siberian roe deer can form hybrids.

Despite such a wide distribution, the habitats of both species are similar - these are forest-steppes, mixed and deciduous forests. Roe deer never enter the real treeless steppe, nor do they like the thick gloomy taiga, deprived of undergrowth. IN coniferous forestsif they occur, then only where they are dotted with edges, clearings, cuttings. This is explained by the fact that roe deer are very picky in food. Although these herbivores, like deers, can eat poisonous plants, mushrooms, lichens, branches of bushes and trees, in practice they rarely indulge in eating such food, preferring to pluck only tender leaves, tops of fruiting and flowering herbs, berries. Abundant fodder base can be provided to them precisely by glades, interspersed meadows, river bed thickets.

For the same reason, roe deer often visit fields, pastures, and hayfields, but only in those places where they are not regularly hunted.

In addition, the small size of these ungulates complicates their movement in deep snow. Snow cover with a height of 20-50 cm is already critical for them, so roe deers are avoided in thickets where snowdrifts form early and last long.

In the most dangerous and hungry times, in winter, roe deer keep in small mixed herds of 5-20 goals. At the same time, European roe deer make only short migrations, and Siberian deer - real migrations. On migration routes, herds can temporarily unite into larger clusters, numbering hundreds of individuals. During migrations, such clusters are able to overcome even large rivers. With the onset of spring, animals return to their summer habitats and herds decay: males occupy individual plots that will guard until the rut, females also rush to retire in anticipation of offspring.

Roe deer cubs are spotted and always lie in a characteristic pose, curled up. In the early days of life, this helps them keep warm.

The roe’s race is not the same as that of other deer. Firstly, it does not occur in the autumn, but in July-August, which is why pregnancy lasts 9-10 months. Females who missed the summer race can be fertilized by males at the end of autumn, but their pregnancy in this case lasts only 5.5 months. This is explained by the fact that the embryo in roe deer does not initially develop, and its growth begins only in December. In “latecomers” females this latent period of gestation is absent, thus, they bring offspring simultaneously with the rest. Pregnancy with a latent period is characteristic of musty predators, but among herbivores, this phenomenon is observed only in roe deer. Secondly, the rut itself is somewhat unusual. Roe males do not roar, calling “ladies” into harems, but confine themselves to mating with several females living within their area. True, they still have to defend this right in battle, since applicants for the attention of neighbors are eager to invade the owners' territory. Fights between males are rarely long and bloody, but males show aggression towards females. In nature, it looks like an obsessive pursuit, ending in mating, but in captivity, because of a lack of free space, males sometimes beat their lovers to death.

Roe deer are more fertile than large deer, they give birth more often to 2 calves, less often 1 or 3. Calving occurs in late April-May. Already half an hour after birth, the roe deer gets to their feet, but after drinking milk, they do not follow their mother, but lie down in the bushes or tall grass. If the mother has more than one cub, then they hide in different places, and the mother feeds them in turn. This tactic helps defenseless babies go unnoticed by predators. In addition to immobility, masking is also provided by the absence of smell in cubs.

A week later, the babies begin to follow their mother, and at 2-3 weeks of age they begin to try green food.

Thanks to high-calorie milk, they grow quickly, as a rule, lactation lasts 2-3 months, rarely - up to six months. But even after weaning from the udder, the young do not leave the parent, following her almost until the next calving. Roe deer reach puberty already in the first year of life, but females at the age of 1.5 begin to participate in the rut, and males no earlier than 3 years of age.

In nature, these animals live up to 10-12 years, in captivity - up to 15-18. However, in natural conditions, half of the young does not survive the first winter, since roe deer have many enemies in nature. A common enemy for both species is the wolf, in addition, lynxes, bears, golden eagles can attack roe deer, and tigers and harza (large marten) in the Far East. Even young foxes, jackals, and stray dogs are dangerous to the young. Ungulates are saved from predators by acute hearing and sense of smell. Roe deer usually move at leisurely steps, constantly raising their heads, looking around, sniffing, and listening.

In case of danger, they break away and are carried away, bouncing high.

A flickering white mirror at each jump signals a danger to fellow tribesmen. However, spasmodic running is exhausting, therefore, having moved away from danger by 500-1000 m, roe deer begin to loop. They strive to make a circle, to leave on their own track, along which they go a few more kilometers. This not only allows you to visually hide from the pursuer, but also does not allow him to find roe deer by smell (and he is not strong, but very persistent in these ungulates).

However, roe deers have enemies from whom no tricks can save. This is a high snow cover, condemning them to hunger, and ... deer. Since red and sika deer occupy the same ecological nichethat roe deer, in relation to the latter they act as food competitors. That is why where there are many deer, roe deer are few in number. In general, these animals are not uncommon and belong to one of the most widespread and favorite types of game. Intensive hunting is compensated by the high natural fecundity of roe deer and artificial breeding in hunting farms. In captivity, these animals adapt easily and quickly get used to humans. But in fiction and folklore roe deer occupy a disproportionately modest place. By the way, the famous Bambi, whom everyone considers a fawn with the light hand of translators and animators, was actually a roe deer. Reread this tale once more and see how accurately the author was able to describe the habits of the roe deer, adding mature drama to his story.

European roe deer (lat. Sarrelus sarrelus) is a cloven-hoofed animal belonging to the deer family and the family of Roe deer. This medium-sized and very graceful deer is also well known by its names - wild goat, roe deer or just roe deer.

Roe Deer Description

The animal has a relatively short body, and the back of the artiodactyl is slightly higher and thicker than the front. The body weight of an adult male roe deer is 22-32 kg, with a body length of 108-126 cm and an average height at the withers of not more than 66-81 cm.The female European roe deer is slightly smaller than the male, but signs of sexual dimorphism are rather weak. The largest individuals are found in the northern and eastern parts of the range.

Appearance

Roe deer has a short and wedge-shaped head narrowed towards the nose, which is relatively high and wide in the eye area. Cranial part with expansion in the eye area, with a wide and shortened front part. Long and oval ears have a distinctly pointed point. Eyes are large, convex, with oblique pupils. The neck of the animal is long and relatively thick. The legs are thin and long, with narrow and relatively short hooves. The tail part is rudimentary, completely hidden under the hairs of the “mirror”. In the spring-summer period, the sweat and sebaceous glands in males greatly increase, and through the secret, the males mark the territory. The most developed sense organs in roe deer are hearing and smell.

It is interesting! The horns of males are relatively small in size, with less or more vertical set-up and lyre-like curvature, close at the base.

There is no supraorbital process, and the main horn trunk is characterized by a curvature back. Horns of rounded section, having a large number of tubercles - "pearls" and a large outlet. In some individuals, an anomaly of the development of horns is noted. In roe deer, horns develop from the age of four months. The full-fledged development of the horn reaches three years of age, and their dropping occurs in October-December. European female roe deer are usually hornless, but individuals with ugly horns are found.

The color of adults is monochrome and completely devoid of sexual dimorphism. In winter, the animal has a gray or grayish-brown torso, passing in the posterior region of the back and at the level of the sacrum into a brownish-brown color.

For the tail “mirror” or caudal disk, white or light reddish color is characteristic. With the onset of summer, the torso and neck acquire a uniform red color, and the belly has a whitish-red color. In general, the summer color is more uniform compared to the winter "outfit". The existing roe-melanist population inhabits the low-lying and swampy areas of Germany and is distinguished by its shiny black summer color and matte black winter fur with lead-gray coloration of the abdomen.

Roe Deer Lifestyle

Roe deer are characterized by a daily periodicity of behavior, in which periods of movement and grazing alternate with chewing food and rest. The longest periods are morning and evening activity, but the daily rhythm is determined by several of the most basic factors, including the season of the year, time of day, natural habitat, and the degree of anxiety.

It is interesting! The average running speed of an adult animal is 60 km / h, and in the process of feeding, roe deer move in small steps, stopping and often listening.

In the spring-summer period, animals show increased activity with the sunset, due to the large number of blood-sucking insects. In winter, feeding becomes longer, which helps offset energy costs. A pasture takes about 12-16 hours, and about ten hours are allocated for chewing food and rest. The roe deer’s movement or step is calm, and in case of danger the animal moves irregularly with periodic bouncing. Males run around their entire territory every day.

Life span

European roe deer have high viability until they reach the age of six years, which is confirmed by analysis of the age composition of the studied population. Most likely, after reaching such a physiological state, the animal becomes weak and absorbs nutrient components from feed worse, and also poorly tolerates adverse external factors. The longest life span of European roe deer in vivo was recorded in Austria, where, as a result of re-capture of labeled animals, an individual was found that was fifteen years old. In captivity, the artiodactyl can live a quarter century.

Roe subspecies

European roe deer are distinguished by wide geographic variability of size and color, which makes it possible to distinguish a large number of geographical races, as well as different subspecies forms within the range. To date, a pair of subspecies Carreolus carreolus carreolus L. is clearly distinguished:

• Sarreolus sarreolus italicus Festa is a subspecies living in the southern and central parts of Italy. Guarded rare view inhabits territories between southern part Tuscany, Puglia and Lazio, right up to the lands of Calabria.
• Sarreolus sarreolus garganta Меuniеr is a subspecies, characterized by a characteristic gray color of fur in the summer. Inhabits the territory of southern Spain, including Andalusia or the Sierra de Cádiz.

Sometimes large roe deer from the territory are also referred to the subspecies Carrelus sarrelus caucasicus. North Caucasusand the population of the Middle East is symbolically assigned to Sarreolus sarreolus sochi.

Habitat, habitat

European roe deer inhabit mixed and deciduous forest zones of various types, as well as forest-steppe territories. In pure coniferous forests, artiodactyls are found only in the presence of deciduous undergrowth. In the zones of real steppes, as well as deserts and semi-deserts, representatives of the genus Roe are absent. As the most fodder places, the animal prefers areas of sparse light forest, rich in shrubs and surrounded by fields or meadows. In the summer, the animal is found in tall grassy meadows overgrown with shrubbery, on the territory of reed loans and floodplain forests, as well as on overgrown ravines and clearings. The cloven-hoofed animal prefers to avoid the continuous forest zone.

It is interesting! In general, European roe deer belong to the category of animals of the forest-steppe type, the most adapted for living in tall grass and shrub biotope than in a dense forest stand or open steppe zone.

The average population density of European roe deer in typical biotopes increases in the direction from the northern part to the south of the range. Unlike other European ungulates, roe deer is the most adapted to living in a cultivated landscape and close to people. In places, such an animal lives almost year-round on various agricultural lands, hiding under forest trees only for rest or in adverse weather. The choice of habitat is primarily affected by the availability of food supply and the availability of shelter, especially in an open landscape. Also of great importance is the height of the snow cover and the presence of predatory animals in the chosen territory.

European Roe Deer

The usual diet of European roe deer includes almost a thousand species of various plants, but artiodactyl prefers easily digestible and water-rich plant foods. More than half of the diet is represented by dicotyledons. herbaceous plantsas well as tree species. An insignificant part of the diet consists of mosses and lichens, as well as plunders, mushrooms and ferns. Most readily roe deer eats greens and branches:

• aspens;
• poplar;
• mountain ash;
• linden trees;
• birches;
• ash;
• oak and beech;
• hornbeam;
• honeysuckle;
• bird cherry;
• buckthorn.

In order to compensate for the lack of mineral substances, salt marshes are visited by artiodactyls, and water is drunk from sources that are rich in mineral salts. Animals get water mainly from plant foods and snow, and the average daily requirement is about one and a half liters. The winter diet is less diverse, and is most often represented by shoots and buds of trees or shrubs, dry grass and leafless leaves. Mosses and lichens are dug out from under the snow, and needles of trees and bark are also eaten.

It is interesting! In winter, when searching for food, roe deer digs snow with their front legs to a depth of half a meter, and all found herbs and plants are eaten whole.

Due to the small volume of the stomach and the relatively fast digestion process, roe deer need a fairly frequent diet. Maximum food is required for pregnant and lactating females, as well as males during the rut. According to the type of food, European roe deer belongs to the category of biting animals that never fully eat all the available vegetation, but only pluck a part of the plant, which makes the damage caused by various agricultural crops insignificant.

To distinguish a one-year-old or one-year-old male roe deer from an adult in field conditions quite difficult. How do you know who is in front of you - a young goat with unremarkable first horns, or an adult two or three year old individual with improperly developed awl horns? Or is it a very old goat whose horns have degraded? Each rational hunter should be able to determine the age of roe deer by external signs.

While roe females are busy caring for the cubs, goat hunting is already open *. Let us focus on why we need to know the male’s age and how to determine it.

In most males, roe horns are most developed between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Maintaining a population in this age range is the key to maximum productivity and good trophies. The rational use of roe deer as a hunting resource should be based on intensive shooting of young game (both sexes), insignificant removal of middle-aged individuals from the population and shooting of all old individuals. In addition, males with ugly and degrading horns, as well as males of two to three years of age with unbranched horns - “potential killers” must be shot without fail.

Determination of age by body shape

At the age of a year and a half years, young individuals are compared with adults in size, and it is rather difficult to distinguish them. Young roe deer have a lighter build than adults. One-year-old individuals do not have a massive body, so that their legs appear relatively long, and the croup is slightly raised at the back (after autumn molting, these differences disappear to a large extent). Two-year-old males look stronger than one-year-olds, but are still slim.

The body of 4-5 year old males who have reached maximum weight seems to be squat, legs are short. This figure is characteristic all the time, while the male is at the highest point of development.

Elderly males often regain the body shape characteristic of young individuals. Their neck seems especially strong and short.

Age differences in the build of roe deer:

A - young; B - middle-aged; In - old individuals (males and females).

Determination of age by color

Determination of age by coloring is possible only from June to August, at a time when the molt is completely finished.

Young roe deer have a very bright “facial mask” in summer: a white spot sharply stands out above the black lips and nose, and a black spot on the forehead. In one-year-old individuals, the muzzle has a monochrome dark, almost black color. However, in developed males, the white spot on the nose is already well expressed, in two-year-old males it is always clearly limited, but increases in size with age, the white color is lost and turns into gray.

Squinting at the muzzle in summer

On the left is a young male, on the right is an aging

In aging males, forehead brightens due to gray hair, gray hair extends to the eyes and gradually the whole head turns gray. Light gray rings around the eyes (“glasses”) are a hallmark of old males. In some older males, the fur between the horns begins to curl.

Determining age by behavior

Young roe deer are always alert and hold their heads high, their movements are quick and graceful.

It is impossible to establish the exact age by the behavior of two-year-old and older males, however, it is possible to draw a conclusion about "younger" and "older" animals. The movements of the middle-aged roe deer are somewhat slowed down, they often stop and listen for a long time, maturity is felt in all their appearance and behavior.

Older animals obviously lose their graceful movements, they are slow and most often keep their necks in a horizontal position. At this age, animals show maximum caution and prefer to hide in the thickets, going to the fat deposit later than other animals. At the first sign of danger, they are the first to try to take cover.

In collisions, inferior to the younger regardless of the development of horns and physical strength. Being defeated, the young male runs back a short distance and then barks for a long time, the old male does not scream at all or bark several times.

Determination of age by horns

The absence of processes in the horns may indicate that the horns are first, but some of the one-year-old individuals have processes. In adult males, horns without processes are rare; the bases and rods of the horns are always thickened.

The second horns are larger than the first ones and have two or three processes, and at their base a small bone rosette develops. They differ from the horns of older males in smaller sizes, thinner rods and fewer ornaments - longitudinal grooves, as well as bone outgrowths - the so-called pearls, or “pearls”.

The third horns that males wear in the fourth year of life are not inferior in beauty and power to the horns of animals of older ages. Further, the number of shoots on the horns, as a rule, no longer increases.

The horns of eight-year-olds and more senior males often show signs of degradation - their size and weight are reduced, and the number of processes and ornaments is reduced.

A fairly reliable indicator of age is the height of the base of the horns, which decreases due to the annual dropping of horns from year to year. Males with the bases of horns “planted” directly on the skull and partially covered with wool are old.

Many hunters often make a mistake by considering the crown of horns as a criterion of age. The so-called “crown” or “coronal” processes are observed in all age classes, but among the one-year-old animals there are practically no individuals with processes of the horns directed backward; they are found only in older age classes.

As a rule, it is not difficult to determine gender. On horns it can be done in the summer; males have them. And in winter, the sex of the male can be determined by the tuft of hair on the penis, which is very clearly visible. A male from a female is not much more difficult to determine at the age of one, when even in summer there are no horns. Then you can do this by paying attention to the scrotum. And females in winter can be easily identified by a bundle of hair sticking out of the vulva. And how to determine the age of the roe deer?

How does roe deer determine age?

With the determination of age, things are a little worse. Although this is quite an important point in the case when roe deer are used for domestic purposes. If the animal has crossed one or two years of age, then the exact age cannot be determined at a distance.

• In general terms, it can be said that one-year-old and older individuals do not have a massive body, their legs seem quite long. But when the male is at the peak of all development, his body looks more squat, and his legs are shorter.
• As for the females, at a young age they have absolutely no udder. And old females have a skinny, bony and angular body.
• Also indicators of age are the shape of the head and its coloration. In relatively young individuals, the head is narrow, but then in males it becomes wide and appears shorter. The method of determining age by coloring is only suitable for determining a young or old animal. It is impossible to determine more precisely.
• The color can only be judged after the molting. As for the males, the one-year-old snout has a dark, almost black color. Males that have already developed have a white spot in the nose, and the farther, the more the spot grows, and by old age it becomes gray. Also, the age of the animal can be determined by graying.
• One of the most reliable indicators is the horns. More precisely, the height of their bases. Due to the fact that the horns are dumped annually, their height is becoming less and less every year. If a male has horns “planted” on a skull and covered with hair, then this indicates that he is old. Another indicator of the male’s youth is the absence of processes on the horns. If they are not there is a sign that the horns are the first. In adults, there are always processes and the rods of their horns at the base are quite thick.
• Horn discharge is also an age indicator. The first males toss horns are adult males. And they have about 3 weeks earlier than new ones grow and clean from skin. It can also be said that in old roe deer, the formation of horns is fully formed by the end of February, in middle-aged males by mid-March, and in young only their development begins in March. But here it should be borne in mind that the formation of horns is strongly affected by the physical condition of the animal. If it is at a high level, then the horns will develop early and this will create the appearance that the animal is old.
• Another age can be determined by molting. It occurs in the spring, the young one-year-olds begin to molt first. Males of the middle age category in color change only by mid-June. And females molt even later. Shedding, which occurs in the fall, is performed in the same sequence.
• The age of roe deer can also be determined by their behavior. Young individuals stay for a long time next to their mother. Sometimes even before their own birth. And naturally they are more playful, curious and less cautious. Also, older animals can be distinguished by their behavior, they are more incredulous and cautious.
• The age of the roe deer is well defined by the skull and teeth of the animal. Age is less accurately determined by the degree to which teeth are sharpened.
• A more accurate age can be determined by the number of dark stripes on the teeth, which become softer due to lack of calcium in old age.
• Changes in the body of the roe deer directly affect the teeth. Narrow dark stripes appear on the tooth section in winter, wider in summer. And every year there are more of them.
• As for determining the age of the skull, then you need to rely on the frontal suture. In young individuals it is pronounced, in older ones it is barely noticeable.