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WHITE-LIPPED DEER
 
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus species: Cervus albiostris
DESCRIPTION
Distinguished by pure white coloring on the nose, chin, lips and throat
Hooves are wide, like those of oxen, with pseudo-claws that are especially well-developed and long
Coat is mostly brown, lightening to cream on the belly
Have a "saddle" on the ridge between their shoulder bones formed by the hairs growing in the opposite direction
Antlers slant backwards, have five to seven points, and reach three feet high
Adult males (stags) weigh over 440 pounds; females (hinds) weigh less
HABITAT
Live in rhododendron scrub, alpine grasslands and coniferous forests
Native to the mountains of western Gansu and western Sichuan China, and the Tibetan Plateau
DIET
Feed mainly on grasses and sedges
BEHAVIOR
They are social animals, moving around grazing pastures in loose mixed-sexed, mixed-age groups of about 25 animals for most of the year
During rut in September, the herds separate into harems of about ten hinds, each group headed by a stag
Stags fight with one another for the privilege of holding a harem and this involves much roaring, head-down threat postures and aggressive head-on clashes and locking of antlers. The larger, stronger stags are usually the winners, but because they are totally occupied with winning, defending and mating with their females, they have little time to eat and quickly lose conditioning over the two week period.
Deer herds tend to be unstable, and individuals frequently join and leave the herd. The only lasting associations are between a mother and her calf, and sometimes also a yearling.
REPRODUCTION
Gestation lasts about 8 months
Hinds give birth between late May and late June.
One calf is dropped per female once a year.
The mother always keeps within sight of her calf, and if it is threatened, she will run in the opposite direction from the calf in an attempt to distract the predator
The calf will sometimes nurse as long as two years
PREDATORS
Human, wolves and bear
CONSERVATION
White-lipped deer populations are declining in most parts of their range, with both herd size and number of herds decreasing quite dramatically in recent years. The reasons for the decline are habitat degradation and over-hunting for their antlers, which are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine.
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