What, what's in his mouth? Fangs or what? Are you laughing? Don't make fools of us - this is photoshop and a baby understands. Such deer do not exist in nature, perhaps only in ancient times there were such. We cannot be deceived now … or still …
We'll find out now!
And yet this is a real animal that lives at the same time with us.
Deer are generally seen as cute and harmless animals. They are quite timid, feed on grass and leaves and can only do harm if they hit someone with their hoof. Interestingly, some members of the deer family have tusks.
Nature deprived him of the main attribute of his relatives, bringing him into a separate group of hornless deer, as a result of which he had to grow two magnificent fangs, which serve as an excellent means of protection from enemies and getting rid of unwanted competitors during the mating season. This could be the beloved deer Bambi, if he was born a water deer.
In the wild, this species of deer lives in wet areas in the Yangtze River Delta, along the shores of lakes and rivers in east-central China, as well as on the Korean Peninsula. Water deer can be seen grazing in tall reeds and green foothills, or resting in the soft soil of plowed and planted fields.
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Reindeer are excellent swimmers, and in order to change scenery or find a new pasture, they can swim several kilometers, moving between the coastal islands of China.
These fanged creatures, resembling ordinary roe deer in appearance, lead an absolutely vegetarian lifestyle, but are more demanding in the choice of food than their relatives. They raid cultivated fields and eat not only the weeds, but the crop itself. Favorite delicacy - tender sedge sprouts, lush green grass, young leaves of shrubs.
The main distinguishing feature of the water deer is its long, curved fangs, which grow in adult males from 5.5 to 8 centimeters. The canines are movably located in the upper jaw and are controlled by the facial muscles. An adult male water deer can use them as a folding knife - when eating, they retract back, and in case of danger or clarification of relations with rivals, they move forward, representing a very formidable weapon.
These sharp fangs left quite a few scars on the necks and heads of other males during the mating season. In case of danger, the deer lowers its lower lip and tightly squeezes both jaws, showing the enemy a formidable grin, which has assigned the name "vampire deer" to its owner.
Water deer are solitary animals, remembering their relatives only at the height of the mating season. Between the fingers of the males, there are special glands that produce a liquid with which they mark their territory. They take the issue of personal ownership of land very seriously and do not like it when uninvited guests encroach on their habitats.
To preserve the inviolability of their personal territory, water deer do not limit themselves to the production of an odorous liquid - for greater fidelity, they pluck the grass around their plot of land, thus marking its boundaries. But this is not enough for them, and they spread branches of young trees along the edges of the site, having previously marked them with saliva.
The means of communication between water deer are variations of sounds, reminiscent of a dog barking. So water deer bark at people, and also at other deer, sometimes for unknown reasons. During mating, they produce characteristic clicking sounds, probably with the help of molars. Females, ready to mate, call the male with a low whistle or a high-pitched sound like a squeal.
There is also such a Crested Deer (lat. Elaphodus cephalophus) from China, which has a strange appearance: its protruding fangs about 2.5 centimeters long resemble those of a vampire.
This deer does not look at all like the usual representatives of this family. First of all, the crested deer differs from most of its relatives in its small size. On average, its height at the withers is about 50 cm, and the body length is 110 cm. The body is covered with wool, the color of which can be dark gray, brown or chocolate brown. The head, neck and lower torso have a reddish tint. Only the tips of the ears, lips, eye area and the inside of the tail are white. But the most important distinguishing feature of a crested deer is a dark crest formed from fur, because of which the horns are not visible, since its height reaches 17 cm. The presence of fangs sticking out of the mouth like a vampire also distinguishes these animals from other representatives of the deer family. Many scholars believethat strange fangs are used by the deer during mating battles. Others attribute the presence of fangs to the need to strip the bark from the trees.
Like most ungulates, these deer feed on plant foods, namely tree leaves, berries and grass. There is information that these animals do not refuse to fall. So crested deer are unique in that meat can be present in their diet.
These deer prefer a lonely lifestyle and communicate with each other only during the breeding season. The sounds they make from afar can be mistaken for a dog barking. Animals are very shy, like all their relatives. Therefore, they are only active at dusk or dawn. At the slightest danger, the animal rushes to flight, raising its tail and showing its white spot, thus warning of the impending disaster of other deer.
Despite the fact that these deer can settle in the vicinity of human habitation, they lead a secretive lifestyle. Therefore, they have been little studied, and there are often rather contradictory information about these animals. One thing is certain. Recently, crested deer are found only in China. Therefore, they are listed in the Red Book.