There are two species of Water Deer, Chinese and Korean, The Chinese Water Deer belongs to the genus, 'Hydropotes' in the sub-family, 'Hydropotinae'. This genus was specially created because the Chinese water Deer has some very different characteristics to the rest of the deer classification, 'Cervidae'.

Water Deer come from the regions of Yangtze River and the islands of Zhejiang in east-central China and are found in the demilitarized zone of Korea. They are usually to be found in the reed beds along rivers, in grassy areas of mountains, in swampy areas, in farmed fields and open grassland. Chinese water Deer, as the name implies, are excellent swimmers and have been known to swim between islands for several miles.

Water Deer life spans around 10-12 years on average. They are about 5 feet in length, inclusive of body and tail and can weigh around 20-30 lbs. They tend to be long and narrow with long necks and graceful posture. One of their distinguishing features is the fact that Chinese Water Deer have back legs that are longer than their front legs. This means that their rumps tend to be higher than their shoulders.

Their coats tend to be golden-brown with white stomachs whilst the area around the chin and throat is commonly cream. The thicker, winter coat is usually brown or grey-brown and is longest over the rump and back legs. They also have rounded ears which have been liken to 'teddy bear' ears.

When in motion, the deer moves with a jumping gait, something similar to that of a rabbit. They possess a very short tail and are unique in being the only deer to have scent glands, used for marking, located close to the groin area.

One of the reasons that the Chinese Water Deer was given its own genus was due to the fact that neither gender grows antlers. Instead, they have over-developed canine teeth, referred to as tusks. In males these can grow to a little over 3 inches but average at about 2 inches. The female canines are much smaller and rarely reach more than 0.2 inches.

These 'tusks' erupt at around 6-7 months and reach their final size around eh age of 18 months. In a superb piece of adaptation, these canine tusks are not firmly rooted in their sockets and can be withdrawn when an animal is eating. Equally, they can be revealed in aggressive situations.

Chinese Water Deer are solitary by nature, although females have been recorded in small groups. However, they show no attempt to stay together should danger threaten, each going their own way. It is only during 'rutting' or mating season that the extremely territorial males come together. It is during these time that the 'tusks' are put to their greatest use, both to intimidate rivals for a female and to wound an opponent. These fights are very rarely fatal, most losers simply being chased off and out of the territory of the victor.

The rut takes place in November and December. Females gestate for between 180-210 days and can give birth to as many as 7 young, 2-5 being the average. They will remain concealed for a month before beginning to venture out to play. By late summer, the youngsters will be driven away from the mother's territory and will begin looking for space to claim as theirs.

A great resource for everything about the Chinese water Deer can be found at this link.

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