Water Deer: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Deer and Pronghorn · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. A buck can fold his loose tusks back out of the way to eat, then thrust them out at rivals. They earned it the nickname vampire deer.
2. It has no antlers. Instead, males grow tusks up to 8 cm long, while females have tiny ones, about 0.5 cm on average.
3. No deer has more babies. A mother usually has two or three fawns at once, and up to seven have been recorded.
4. Its back legs are longer than its front ones, so its rump sits higher than its shoulders. It runs in hops, like a rabbit.
5. Water deer are skilled swimmers. They can cross long stretches of water to reach remote river islands.

The quiz

1. What nickname has the water deer earned because of its teeth?

• Tiger deer
• Shark deer
• Walrus deer
• Vampire deer (correct)

Its tusks led to the nickname vampire deer.

2. How long can a male water deer's tusks grow?

• About 1 mm
• Up to 8 cm (correct)
• Up to 30 cm
• Up to 80 cm

A buck's tusks can be as long as 8 cm.

3. How many fawns does a water deer mother usually have at once?

• Two or three (correct)
• Always just one
• Around ten
• Around twenty

Two or three is normal, making it the most prolific deer.

4. How does the water deer run?

• Sideways like a crab
• On its front legs only
• In hops, like a rabbit (correct)
• Waddling like a duck

Its longer hind legs make it run with rabbit-like jumps.

5. What is the water deer good at?

• Climbing trees
• Swimming (correct)
• Digging deep burrows
• Hanging from branches

It is a skilled swimmer that reaches remote river islands.

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