New Zealand Mammals

DSC_6254 Red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) hind and fawn with autumn foliage. Red deer in NZ today are often interbred mixtures of wild and park herds from the British Isles and Europe. They are hardy survivors and have been hunted by humans for at least 40,000 years. They were widely depicted in cave art found throughout European caves dating from the Upper Paleolithic. They mature at 2 years and are able to produce a fawn every year. This rapid rate of reproduction has helped them endure intense human hunting pressure. Southland *

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DSC_6254 Red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) hind and fawn with autumn foliage. Red deer in NZ today are often interbred mixtures of wild and park herds from the British Isles and Europe. They are hardy survivors and have been hunted by humans for at least 40,000 years. They were widely depicted in cave art found throughout European caves dating from the Upper Paleolithic. They mature at 2 years and are able to produce a fawn every year. This rapid rate of reproduction has helped them endure intense human hunting pressure. Southland *

DSC 6254 Red deer Cervus elaphus scoticus hind fawn autumn foliage Southland