Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure

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Fast Facts:

Excellent swimmer who will jump into water to escape predator.
The Sika is regards as sacred in Japan. They are kept in temples where people come to visit them and offer them rice cakes.
Antlers are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Sika Deer

Scientific Name:	Cervus nippon
Classification:	Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae
Status:	Stable
Range:	Eastern Asia and Japan
Habitat:	Forests, marshes, grasslands
Diet:	Grass, leaves, flowers and fruit
Size:	Length: 3.5-5 feet Height: 3.5 inches Weight: 100-242 lbs.
Lifespan:	10 years, 25 years in captivity
Location:
Print Fact Sheet	Sika

Special Features:

Only the males have antlers. Each antler has four tines. Start growing new antlers as soon as they shed the others.
Both males and females have a shaggy neck mane that darkens in winter.

Social Structure & Behavior:

Primarily nocturnal. Very vocal. Calls range from soft whistles to loud screams. Not territorial. Groups are a males and around 12 females. Amazingly hardy. During harsh winters can survive on scarce food. Easily tamed.

Reproduction:
Sexual maturity at 18-24 months. Gestation is 217 months. Usually a single birth but occasionally twins Weaned at 8-12 months