Picture this. You are driving through a thick, wooded area, full of twists and turns, when out of the blue you see a startled deer running this way and that. Frightened by the glare of the headlights, the animal looks small and vulnerable. You brake hard, and wait until the deer finds its way back into the safety of the woods.

Deer are known to be timid animals. If you live somewhere with lots of deer around, you may have gone looking for them — to hunt them, or simply to watch and photograph them. Let’s get to know the deer of this world a little better.

The Best-Known Deer

There are dozens of deer species, but a handful are famous the world over. Here are nine of the deer you are most likely to have heard of, from the familiar white-tailed deer to the spotted chital of India.

A white-tailed deer standing in a grassy field

White-tailed Deer

Known simply as the whitetail in the U.S., this deer is native to the Americas. It is a medium-sized animal: the male weighs anywhere between 130 to 300 lbs, while the doe weighs somewhere between 100 to 200 lbs. Its coat changes from brown in the summer to a grayish-brown as winter approaches. The white-tailed deer is so named because of the bright white underside of its tail, which it flashes like a flag to warn the others when it senses danger.

A bull moose with huge palmate antlers standing in a lake

Moose

The largest and tallest of all the deer species, the moose is typically found in cool climates, especially the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and the U.S. It can weigh as much as 1,800 lbs. You can tell the stags apart by the massive leaf-shaped antlers they carry, which can span a length of up to 6 ft. They have long faces and a “bell” — a loose, hanging flap of skin under the throat. Despite their enormous size, moose are very good swimmers, and can wade several miles through water in search of food.

A mule deer with large ears in dry desert country

Mule Deer

Found all over the South American deserts and the U.S., this deer gets its name from the large, mule-like ears it has. A black-tipped tail, forked antlers, big ears, and a white patch on its hind side are what set it apart from the other species. Its grayish-brown coat helps the deer blend into its desert surroundings.

A caribou with branching antlers in the Arctic

Caribou

Popularly known as the Reindeer, this deer lives in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. It is the only species in which both the male and female grow antlers. Caribou have two thick layers of woolly fur that act as insulators in the freezing weather. They cover a distance of over 3,000 miles during their yearly migration to the Arctic — a feat unmatched by any other land mammal.

An Indian red muntjac, or barking deer

Indian Muntjac

Also called the “Barking Deer”, this deer is widespread across Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are solitary creatures and prefer to roam alone. They make a deep, bark-like sound (which is how they earned the name Barking Deer) if they sense danger coming. This species is omnivorous, and is known to eat bird eggs as well as grass and shoots.

A sika deer from East Asia

Sika Deer

Its name comes from the word “shika”, which means deer in the Japanese language. It is also called the Spotted Deer, and it is found all over Eastern Asia. During the mating season, the males let out loud, shrill whistles that can be heard over a mile away. These deer were once prized for their velvet antlers in China and Taiwan.

A sambar deer from Southeast Asia

Sambar

Native to Southeast Asia, this deer is found in almost all parts of Asia. Sambar have three-tined antlers, which people have used to carve knife handles. Living in tropical seasonal forests, these creatures are easy prey for tigers, leopards, and crocodiles. They stomp their hooves on the ground as a warning signal.

A fallow deer, also called dama

Fallow Deer

Spread all over central Europe and the United Kingdom, this deer likes to graze in open grasslands. Its coat is brown and turns a darker shade in the colder months. Fallow deer are very good jumpers, and can clear over 2 ft high and 5 ft across. There are four sub-types in this species, each with a different kind of coat pattern: the common, menil, melanistic and leucistic variant.

A chital, or spotted deer, of India

Chital

Found in huge numbers across the Indian subcontinent, this deer likes to stay in herds. Chital have lyre-shaped antlers, and bawl in a more primitive way than other deer species. The meat from this deer is more popular than that of most other species.

The Full List of Deer Species

Deer can be broadly split into two groups: the Old World deer, which make up the subfamily Cervinae, and the New World deer, which make up the subfamily Capreolinae. Here is how the family is sorted out.

Subfamily Cervinae

The Old World deer — muntjacs, the red deer, the elk and their relatives. The scientific name follows each one.

  • Indian Muntjac / Southern Red Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak)
  • Chinese Muntjac / Reeve’s Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi)
  • Black Muntjac (Muntiacus crinifrons)
  • Bornean Yellow Muntjac (Muntiacus atherodes)
  • Roosevelt’s Muntjac (Muntiacus rooseveltorum)
  • Giant Muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis)
  • Gongshan Muntjac (Muntiacus gongshanensis)
  • Truong Son Muntjac (Muntiacus truongsonensis)
  • Leaf Muntjac (Muntiacus putaoensis)
  • Sumatran Muntjac (Muntiacus montanum)
  • Pu Hoat Muntjac (Muntiacus puhoatensis)
  • White-lipped Deer (Cervus albirostris)
  • Sika Deer (Cervus nippon)
  • Barasingha / Swamp Deer (Rucervus duvaucelii)
  • European Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)
  • Wapiti or Elk (Cervus canadensis)
  • Thamin Deer (Cervus eldii)
  • Philippine Sambar / Philippine Brown Deer (Cervus mariannus or Rusa mariannus)
  • Philippine / Visayan Spotted Deer (Cervus alfredi or Rusa alfredi)
  • Sunda Sambar or Rusa Deer (Cervus timorensis russa)
  • Sambar (Rusa unicolor)
  • Chital (Axis axis)
  • Calamian Deer (Axis calamianensis)
  • Bawean Deer (Hyelaphus kuhlii)
  • Hog Deer (Axis porcinus)
  • Pere David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus)
  • Fallow Deer (Dama dama)
  • Persian Fallow Deer (Dama mesopotamica)
  • Corsican Red Deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus)
  • Yarkand Deer (Cervus elaphus yarkandensis)
  • Bactrian Deer (Cervus elaphus bactrianus)
  • Kashmir Stag (Cervus elaphus hanglu)
  • Tufted Deer (Elaphodus cephalophus)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the biggest deer in the world?

The moose is the largest and tallest deer in the world. It can weigh as much as 1,800 lbs, and a bull's antlers can span up to 6 feet.

What is the smallest deer in the world?

The Northern Pudu of South America is the smallest deer in the world, standing only about knee-high to an adult.

What are the two main groups of deer?

Deer are split into the Old World deer (subfamily Cervinae) and the New World deer (subfamily Capreolinae). The names describe how they are related, not only where they live.

Which deer is the same animal as the reindeer?

The caribou and the reindeer are the same species, Rangifer tarandus. It is the only deer in which both males and females grow antlers.

Do all deer grow antlers?

In almost all deer species only the males grow antlers, which they shed and regrow every year. The caribou is the exception, as both sexes have them, while the Chinese water deer has none at all.

Subfamily Capreolinae (Odocoileinae)

The New World deer — the white-tailed and mule deer, the brockets, the pudus, the moose and the caribou.

  • Chinese Water Deer (Hydropotes inermis)
  • Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
  • Moose / Elk in Europe (Alces alces)
  • Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
  • White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
  • Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus)
  • Red Brocket (Mazama americana)
  • Merida Brocket (Mazama bricenii)
  • Dwarf Brocket (Mazama chunyi)
  • Gray Brocket (Mazama gouazoubira)
  • Brazilian Dwarf Brocket / Pygmy Brocket (Mazama nana)
  • Yucatan Brown Brocket (Mazama pandora)
  • Little Red Brocket (Mazama rufina)
  • Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles)
  • Southern Pudu (Pudu)
  • Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus)
  • Taruca, Peruvian Guemal or North (Hippocamelus antisensis)
  • North Andean Deer or Taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis)
  • Chilean Huemul / South Andean Deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus)
  • Caribou or Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
  • Siberian Roe Deer (Capreolus pygargus)

Take the Deer Detective Quiz!

5 quick questions. Find out how much you really know about the deer of the world.

Quick Deer Facts

Deer belong to the family Cervidae, in the order Artiodactyla.

Most deer are herbivores and generally eat grasses, weeds, leaves, twigs, lichens, and herbs. Many deer species have no upper front row of incisor teeth — just a hard pad of gum. They are cud-chewing mammals, which means they can eat a lot of food quickly and digest it later. To do this, they have four-chambered stomachs, where each chamber does a different job.

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A long line of caribou migrating across the open Arctic tundra
A caribou herd on the move. Their yearly migration of over 3,000 miles is the longest of any land mammal on Earth.

In almost all species, only the males grow antlers, and each species has its own distinctive antler shape.

Antlers are used during the breeding season, when the males fight each other to win the females’ attention. Deer shed their antlers at the end of the mating season, and a brand-new set grows in to replace them every year.

Deer can be found in every climate and geographical zone, from the freezing tundra and the plains to mountains, grasslands, and the equatorial forests.

Africa has only one native species, the Red Deer, found in the Atlas Mountains in the northwest.

Six species were introduced into Australia: the Fallow Deer, Red Deer, Sambar Deer, Hog Deer, Rusa Deer, and the Chital.

The North American deer species include the white-tailed deer, mule deer, black-tailed deer, elk, caribou, and moose.

The moose is the largest deer in the world, while the Northern Pudu is the smallest.

Deer were once hunted and prized for their skin and antlers. Venison (which is deer meat) is also a popular delicacy.

Wild animals such as tigers, jaguars, and pumas are all known to be deer predators.

Deer have a sharp sense of smell, hearing, and vision, and they have a supple body with long, powerful legs that make them very fast runners. This helps them escape from their predators.

Although deer are usually charming and gentle, a deer that is provoked can use its antlers to kick and fight back.

Some of the species listed above are dwindling in number, especially the Thamin and Hog Deer. It is our job to help save them from extinction by protecting forests and wildlife.