iCentral Asian Red Deer
Conservation status
Endangered (EN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Suborder: Ruminantia Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Cervinae Genus: Cervus Species: C. affinis
Binomial name
Cervus affinis New species designate

The Central Asian Red Deer (Cervus affinis) (also known as Asian Red Deer and Himalayan (or Tibetan) Red Deer) is one of three species of Red Deer that consist of five known isolated populations (subspecies) of primitive red deer that live in the lowlands of Turkestan, the Tibetan Highlands, and the high country of the Himalayan Mountains. These deer are the most primitive and least known of all three Red Deer species and are most closely related in DNA to the Sika Deer. All subspecies are either threatened or show a population decline. Some Chinese populations of Central Asian Red Deer, along with Sika Deer and Wapitis have been raised on deer farms for their antlers at one time. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... The critically endangered Amur Tiger, a rare subspecies of tiger. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera Subregnum Eumetazoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Radiata (unranked) Ctenophora Cnidaria Bilateria (unranked) Acoelomorpha Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata Hemichordata Echinodermata Chaetognatha Superphylum Ecdysozoa Kinorhyncha Loricifera Priapulida Nematoda Nematomorpha Onychophora Tardigrada Arthropoda Superphylum Platyzoa Platyhelminthes Gastrotricha Rotifera Acanthocephala Gnathostomulida Micrognathozoa Cycliophora Superphylum Lophotrochozoa Sipuncula Nemertea Phoronida Bryozoa Entoprocta Brachiopoda... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Orders Multituberculata (extinct) Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Australosphenida Ausktribosphenida Monotremata Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Arctostylopida (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Cingulata Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Leptictida (extinct) Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata... Families Suidae Hippopotamidae Tayassuidae Camelidae Tragulidae Moschidae Cervidae Giraffidae Antilocapridae Bovidae The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. ... Families  Tragulidae  Moschidae  Cervidae  Giraffidae  Antilocapridae  Bovidae The biological suborder Ruminantia includes many of the well-known large grazing or browsing mammals: among them cattle, goats, sheep, deer, and antelope. ... Genera About 15 in 4 subfamilies. ... species See text. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Binomial name Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), known as Elk in North America, are the second largest species of deer in the world, after Alces alces (the moose or, in Europe, elk). ... Binomial name Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838 Subspecies The Sika Deer Cervus nippon is a typical member of the family Cervidae. ... Binomial name Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838 Subspecies The Sika Deer Cervus nippon is a typical member of the family Cervidae. ... This article is about red deer. ...

Habitat

Each of the subspecies are isolated from one another by mountains and deserts and are specialized in either lowland riparian inhabit or highland mountain habitat, but not both. These deer are unlike European Red Deer or Wapitis that have larger geographic distributions that covers both mountain and lowland habitats in that their populations are more restricted. Highland and lowland populations may have all been connected at one time forming a continuous distribution that covered much of Turkestan, the Tibetan Highlands, and the Himalayan Mountains. Binomial name Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), known as Elk in North America, are the second largest species of deer in the world, after Alces alces (the moose or, in Europe, elk). ... This article is about red deer. ... Map of Turkestan (green) with borders of modern states in white Turkestan (Persian: ترکستان ) (also spelled Turkistan or Türkistan) is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic people. ... Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and Sichuan Province of China lie on the Tibetan Plateau. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ...

Lowland Deer

The Bactrian Deer (Cervus affinis bactrianus) and Yarkand Deer (Cervus affinis yarkandensis) both live in lowland riparian corridors of mixed deciduous (willow/poplar) vegetation surrounded by deserts. The Bactrian Deer (also known as Bukhara Deer or Bactrian Wapiti) lives in Russian Turkestan (West Turkestan) and adjacent areas in Northern Afghanistan to the west of the Tianshan Mountains. The Yarkand Deer (also known as Tarim Deer or Lop Nor Stag) lives in the Tarim Basin Deciduous Forests and Steppe Ecoregion in the Tarim Basin of China's Xinjiang Province (East Turkestan). Species About 350, including: Salix acutifolia- Violet Willow Salix alaxensis- Alaska Willow Salix alba- White Willow Salix alpina- Alpine Willow Salix amygdaloides- Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula- Mountain Willow Salix arbusculoides- Littletree Willow Salix arctica- Arctic Willow Salix atrocinerea Salix aurita- Eared Willow Salix babylonica- Peking Willow Salix barrattiana- Barratts... This article is about woody plants of the genus Populus. ... Map of Turkestan (green) with borders of modern states in white Turkestan (Persian: ترکستان ) (also spelled Turkistan or Türkistan) is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic people. ... Tian Shan Mountains from space, October 1997 The Tian Shan (Chinese: 天山; Pinyin: Tiān Shān; celestial mountains), also spelled Tien Shan, is a mountain range located in Central Asia, to the north and west of the Taklamakan Desert in the border region of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Xinjiang Uyghur... Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin. ... For the county in Shanxi province, see Xinjiang County. ...

Highland Deer

The Kashmir Stag (Cervus affinis hanglu), Shou (Cervus affinis affinis), and MacNeill's Deer (Cervus affinis macneilli) inhabit mountainous terrain. The Kashmir Stag (also known as Hangul) lives in the mixed deciduous and coniferous forests that grow on the mountain slopes and valleys of Kashmir. The Shou (also known as Tibetan Red Deer) occupies high mountain grassland and brushland habitat in Northern Bhutan and adjacent areas in Southern Tibet, and is similar in ecology to the Thorold's Deer. MacNeill's Deer (also known as Sichuan Deer or Gansu Red Deer) occupy subalpine areas with willow trees and rhododendron thickets in mountainous areas of Eastern Tibet and the adjacent Chinese Provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu. Kashmir (or Cashmere) may refer to: Kashmir region, the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent India, Kashmir conflict, the territorial dispute between India, Pakistan, and the China over the Kashmir region. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Thorolds deer has the scientific name Cervus Albirostris Przewalski. ... Species About 350, including: Salix acutifolia- Violet Willow Salix alaxensis- Alaska Willow Salix alba- White Willow Salix alpina- Alpine Willow Salix amygdaloides- Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula- Mountain Willow Salix arbusculoides- Littletree Willow Salix arctica- Arctic Willow Salix atrocinerea Salix aurita- Eared Willow Salix babylonica- Peking Willow Salix barrattiana- Barratts... Subgenera Azaleastrum Candidastrum Hymenanthes Mumeazalea Pentanthera (Azaleas) Rhododendron Therorhodion Tsutsusi (Azaleas) Vireya Source: RBG, Edinburgh Rhododendron (from the Greek: rhodos, rose, and dendron, tree) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. ... This article is becoming very long. ... (Chinese: 四川; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; Postal Pinyin: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ... Qinghai (Chinese: 青海; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching-hai; Postal System Pinyin: Tsinghai; Tibetan: མཚོ་སྔོན་ mtsho-sngon; Mongolian: Köke Naγur; Manchu: Huhu Noor) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, named after the enormous Qinghai Lake. ... Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, Kansu, or Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Appearance

There are subtle differences in appearance between the various subspecies of Central Asian Red Deer primarily in size and coat. The shou and MacNeill's Deer are the largest subspecies, and the Bactrian Deer is the smallest. The antler structure of most subspecies features a 5 prong plan (5 tines on each antler) with occasional "cups" formed at the fourth and fifth tines as in European Red Deer but like the Elk or Wapiti they have large bez (second tines), and have a bend after the third tine. Many older MacNeill's Deer stags (but not all) do have antlers of the 6 prong plan (6 tines on each antler) reminiscent of Wapitis, which is probably why MacNeill's Deer was once considered a subspecies of Wapiti. Binomial name Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), known as Elk in North America, are the second largest species of deer in the world, after Alces alces (the moose or, in Europe, elk). ... This article is about red deer. ...

Male Highland Deer (Kashmir Stag, Shou, and MacNeill's Deer) have small rump patches and short neck manes. In the case of MacNeill's Deer, females also have short neck manes. Male Lowland Deer (Bactrian Deer and Yarkand Deer) have large rump patches (reminiscent of Wapitis) but have no neck manes. However, they do have stronger and thicker neck muscles than female deer that may give the appearance of a neck mane. Most female deer, except for female MacNeill's Deer, generally lack neck manes. This article is about red deer. ...

All subspecies have short tails and are born spotted. Most individuals lose their spots by adulthood. However, adult Bactrian Deer and Kashmir Stag may possess a few spots on the backs of their summer coats. Bactrian Red Deer have a coat pattern (most noticeable in males) that resembles the coat of the American Elk or Wapitis, which is why this subspecies is sometimes called the Bactrian Wapiti.

Rutting calls of Central Asian Red Deer are primitive and may resemble both the European Red Deer and Wapitis. The Kashmir stag's mating call starts out with a roar like a European Red Deer but ends more like a bugle of an American Elk.^[1]

DNA studies on Cervus (Red Deer, Asian Red Deer, Wapiti) subspecies

Biologists have until recently stated that Red Deer and Wapiti (or Elk) are the same species forming a continuous distribution throughout temperate Eurasia and North America, based on fertile hybrids that have been produced under captive conditions. Animal behavior is generally different in captivity than in the wild, and the assumption that the same results would happen in the wild as in captivity is not necessarily the best test methodology to determine speciation. Recent DNA studies conducted on hundreds samples from Red Deer and Elk subspecies determined that there are three distinct species of Red Deer and divides them into an Western (European), Central (Turkestan/Himalayan Mountains/Tibetan Plateau), and Eastern (North Asia, East Asia, North America) species grouping. The western species is the European Red Deer and includes the deer that are found in Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa. The central species is the Central Asian Red Deer that inhabits temperate riparian vegetation corridors surrounded by deserts and temperate mountainous environments of the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau of Central Asia. The eastern species is the Wapiti (or Elk) whose range is from Northern and Eastern Asia into North America. Altogether, the study concluded that not more than 9 distinct subspecies of Red Deer exist and that the eastern, central, and western groups should be considered to be three separate species.^[2] Both the Central Asian Red Deer and East Asian/North American Red Deer (Elk or Wapiti) are more closely related in DNA to the Sika Deer than is the European Red Deer. Biologists have not adopted a general consensus that there are three distinct species. Charles Darwins first sketch of an evolutionary tree from his First Notebook on Transmutation of Species (1837) Speciation is the theory of the evolutionary process by which new biological species are believed by some to arise. ... Binomial name Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838 Subspecies The Sika Deer Cervus nippon is a typical member of the family Cervidae. ...

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has identified all five subspecies of Central Asian Red Deer (Cervus affinis) as (potentially) endangered.^[3]. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... The critically endangered Amur Tiger, a rare subspecies of tiger. ...

Please note that at the time of writing and tabulating the data above, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classified the these five subspecies as "Cervus Elaphus". According to the proposed three Red Deer species classification, these five subspecies actually belong to the Central Asian Red Deer (Cervus Affinis) species. The Shou (Cervus affinis affinis) and Tibetan Red Deer (Cervus affinis wallichi) are actually the same subspecies, and MacNeill's Deer (Cervus affinis macneilli) and Kansu Red Deer (Cervus affinis kansuensis) are actually the same subspecies. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

Predators

Aside from man, the Wolf is probably the most dangerous of predators that most Central Asian Red Deer encounter. Occasionally, the Brown bear and Asiatic black bear will predate on these deer as well.^[4] Other possible predators are dholes and snow leopards. Eurasian Lynx and wild boars sometimes prey on the calves. Binomial name Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus; also spelled Grey Wolf, see spelling differences; also known as Timber Wolf or Wolf) is a mammal in the order Carnivora. ... Binomial name Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 Ursus arctos range map. ... Binomial name Ursus thibetanus (G. Cuvier, 1823) Synonyms Selenarctos thibetanus The Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus), also known as the Tibetan black bear, the Himalayan black bear, or the moon bear, is a medium sized, sharp-clawed, black-coloured bear with a distinctive white or cream V... Binomial name Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811) The Dhole (Cuon alpinus) is a species of wild dog of the Canidae family. ... Binomial name Uncia uncia (Schreber, 1775) The snow leopards range A snow leopard cub The snow leopard is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of central Asia. ... Binomial name Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat of European and Siberian forests, where it is one of the major predators. ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. ...

Migration

Lowland Deer

The Bactrian and Yarkand Deer which are dependent on the lowland riparian corridors for food and shelter do not migrate but may disperse into adjacent desert areas at night or at times of cooler temperatures.

Highland Deer

The Kashmir Stag tends to migrate between higher and lower elevations following the melting snows to higher altitudes in the spring and return to lower elevations for the winter months. The Shou and MacNeill's Deer that live in higher altitudes above the forested areas do not migrate between higher and lower elevations, but probably occupy different areas of the high country depending on the time of year.

See also

• Red Deer - European Red Deer
• East European red deer - a subspecies of European Red Deer
• Wapiti - East Asian/North American Red Deer (Wapiti)
• Sika Deer
• Thorold's Deer

Binomial name Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), known as Elk in North America, are the second largest species of deer in the world, after Alces alces (the moose or, in Europe, elk). ... Binomial name Cervus elaphus maral Linnaeus, 1758 The East European red deer (Latin name: Cervus elaphus maral) also known as the Caspian red deer and maral is a subspecies of red deer that is native to eastern Europe and parts of western Asia. ... This article is about red deer. ... Binomial name Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838 Subspecies The Sika Deer Cervus nippon is a typical member of the family Cervidae. ... Thorolds deer has the scientific name Cervus Albirostris Przewalski. ...

References cited

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Cervus elaphus

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External links

• Red deer in New Zealand
• Deer Commission for Scotland