by Tim Harry

Created on: May 18, 2010

The Chinese Water Deer, Hydropotes inermis, is a deer that that is naturally found in China and Korea. It is typical in shape and size to many other deer, but it has one distinguishing feature, whilst most deer have antlers, the Chinese Water Deer have tusks. 

Populations of the Chinese Water Deer are to be found around the Yangtze River and a number of the coastal provinces, these populations though are decreasing, and there is some concern about the future of the deer. Surprisingly though outside of China numbers are increasing, most notably in England. England received its first examples of the Chinese Water Deer for display at London Zoo at the end of the nineteenth century, from where they were transferred to Woburn Abbey, and later Whipsnade. Both Whipsnade and Woburn still have large populations of Chinese Water Deer within their parks, but an increasing population is present in surrounding countryside, made up of escaped deer and their descendents.

In China, the Chinese Water Deer is primarily found around water, along river banks and amongst reeds. They also have a preference for open grasslands and swampy areas. Of course England might not have the same swampy conditions but the open grasslands around Woburn seem to be ideal, with the deer thriving.

The Chinese Water Deer are relatively small deer, with a body length of about 85cm, and a shoulder height of 50cm. These deer normally weigh about 12kg. Colour wise the deer are a fawn, golden brown colour, with some black and white interspersed.

The distinguishing features though are their tusks. Normally between 5cm and 8cm long, for the buck, these tusks protrude out of the upper jaw. As with the antlers normally present on other deer, the tusks are primarily used when an aggressive meeting occurs with another Chinese Water Deer. When grazing though, the protruding tusks can be withdrawn back into their own socket.

The tusks do make the Chinese Water Deer unique amongst the deer family, and as a result have been classed in their own sub family, Hydropotinae. The lack of antlers also provided them with their scientific name, with “inermis” translating to without arms, although the tusks can be as vicious as antlers.

The tusks are designed for confrontation, and come into their own during the rutting season. Male Chinese Water Deer are by nature territorial and solitary animals, and during the rutting season the male deer will confront each other for control of territory and also potential mates. In the event that a fight ensues from the confrontation, then the deer will seek to inflict damage with their tusks. These fights are rarely deadly but do lead to scarring.

Scent plays and important part in both marking the territory of a male Chinese Water Deer and also in courting. With control of a territory a male will seek out females to mate with. Following on from mating a female may give birth to as many as seven fawns after a six or seven month pregnancy. Whilst it is more normal for between two and five fawns to be born, this does mean that the Chinese Water Deer produces the most offspring of any deer. If they fawn can get through infancy then it is likely to live to twelve years of age.

The fact that the Chinese Water Deer can thrive away from its native China is a good sign for the future survival of the deer, although as with many species recognition of issues affecting their natural habitat should be addressed.

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