Red Deer
Cervus elaphus
🦌
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Cervidae
Cervalces
Cervus elaphus
Britain’s majestic stag and Europe’s native cervid. Red deer are the largest wild land mammals in the British Isles and have thrived across Eurasia since the mid‑Pleistocene.
Description
Adult red deer typically measure 1.7–2.6 m long and stand about 1.2 m high at the shoulder; hinds are slightly smaller at ~1 m. Wild stags weigh between 90 and 200 kg, though well‑fed individuals may approach 300 kg. They sport a red‑brown summer coat that turns grey‑brown in winter, and males grow a dark mane and large branching antlers. The species is widely distributed across Eurasia, from Ireland and Britain through Europe and Asia to Manchuria. Red deer inhabit woodlands, heathlands, montane meadows and moorlands. They are crepuscular, feeding on grasses, heather, leaves and bark. Herd structure varies seasonally: hinds and calves form groups while stags are solitary or in bachelor groups except during the rut. Red deer have been introduced to New Zealand, Argentina and Australia and hybridise with elk where ranges overlap.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
500
1.4
2.1
2.3
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Browsers
Hunt History
Red deer have a long relationship with humans. Fossil remains from Hoxne in Suffolk (~300 000 years old) mark them as one of the earliest deer in British woodlands. Remains from the Wolstonian glaciation of Jersey indicate that human hunters were taking red deer around 150 000 years ago, and later sites from Somerset (12 800–11 900 BP) place red deer among the late‑glacial fauna. Early people likely used red deer for meat, hides and antler; there is even evidence that some communities managed deer herds for antler production. Throughout historic times the species became a “beast of chase” in Europe, protected for royal hunts yet also heavily poached.
1. Hoxne, Suffolk (~300 k BP) – red deer remains from mid‑Pleistocene Cromerian deposits show their early presence in Britain.
2. Jersey (Wolstonian glaciation, ~150 k BP) – remains suggest that human hunters on Jersey were taking red deer as prey.
3. Somerset, England (12 800–11 900 BP) – late‑glacial deposits containing red deer bones document the species’ survival into the Holocene.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Europe
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
25
kg
Targeted Organs
Marrow, kidney fat
Adipose Depots
Seasonal backfat, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Long-bone marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4