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Species
Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Sika deer were long considered sacred animals in Japan. The fossil record of this species indicates that the Pleistocene deer of Asia - especially those of Japan - strongly resembled C. nippon (Feldhamer 1980).
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Cervus_nippon/ |
The sika was distributed across east Asia, from central China in the west to Japan and Korea in the east, and from the extreme eastern tip of Russia in the north to southern China and Viet Nam. Specifically, it was originally found in China (formerly from Manchuria south to Guangxi, and Sichuan to Anhui), North and South Korea (including Cheju Island) (but now probably extinct in both countries), Japan, Russia (a few places in Primorsky in the Far East), Taiwan (extinct in 1969, but subsequently re-introduced), and Viet Nam (probably now extinct). Wild populations are now very localized in China. In Japan, the species ranges widely from Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, islands in the Seto Inland Sea (Awaji, Shodo, and others), Goto Islands, Ika, Yakushima, Mageshima, Kuchinoerabu-shima, Tsushima, and the Kerama Islands (introduced) (Okinawa Prefecture) (Abe, 2005).
In China, C. n. mandarinus probably ranged across much of northeastern China, but by the mid-1930s its range had contracted to northeastern Jilin (IUCN 1972, Guo 1992), and is now believed to be extinct (Hu 1998, Smith and Xie 2008). C. n. grassianus ranged throughout western Shanxi Province, China (Ohtaishi and Gao 1990, Guo 1992), and is now believed to be extinct (Hu 1998, Smith and Xie 2008).C. n. kopschi ranged from the Yangtze River Basin eastward to the coast, and south as far as northern Guangdong Province (IUCN 1972); it remains in small numbers in southern China. C. e. taiouanus was widely distributed throughout Taiwan (Green 1989). Free ranging populations were extirpated in 1969, but captive individuals were re-introduced in 1989 (Smith and Xie 2008). C. n. pseudaxis was recorded from Cao Bang, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Hanoi, and Nghe Tinh provinces in Viet Nam (Dang Huy Huynh et al. 1990), but is probably now extinct in the wild (captive animals remain).
The species has been widely introduced. In the Philippines it was anciently introduced to Solo Island, with questions remaining as to its continued existence there. It was introduced in 17th century to Kerama Islands (Ryukyu Islands, Japan); and introduced in 19th-20th centuries to British Isles, mainland Europe (Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, western Russia, and Ukraine), New Zealand, USA, and small islands off Japan (Whitehead 1993; Wemmer 1998; Grubb, 2005). It is also widely farmed in Asia, particularly in China (Green et al, 2007; Smith and Xie 2008). Ony the native, extant range is included in the distribution map.
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Rights holder/Author | © International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |
Source | http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/41788 |
梅花鹿仅见于亚洲东部及其邻近的岛屿。在我国过去曾分布很广,东北、华北、华东、华南、华中和西南地区均有分布。本种曾被命名许多个地理亚种,不少亚种的有效性存在有待订正,目前涉及我国的6个亚种。
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Rights holder/Author | 胡锦矗,1998, EOL China Regional Center |
Source | No source database. |
Captive individuals generally live 15 to 18 years, though one was recorded living 25 years and 5 months.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 25 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 15 to 18 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 26.3 years.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Cervus_nippon/ |
Because of their taste for soy beans and corn, sika deer have undoubtedly caused some problems for farmers of these crops (Feldhamer 1980).
Negative Impacts: crop pest
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Cervus_nippon/ |
甘肃,台湾,山东,山西,广西,陕西,安徽,湖南,江西,浙江,广东,吉林,河北,四川,黑龙江,江苏
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | The Biodiversity Committee of Chinese Academy of Sciences,2011, EOL China Regional Center |
Source | No source database. |
Maximum longevity: 26.3 years (captivity) Observations: Growth continues until ages 7-10 in males and ages 4-6 in females (Ronald Nowak 1999).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002 - 2009 by Joao Pedro de Magalhaes |
Source | http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Cervus_nippon |
Sika deer are valued in China for their antlers, which are used in traditional medicine. They are also an important food and game animal.
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Cervus_nippon/ |
Introduced to British deer parks from Japan in 1860, the sika deer is now widespread in Scotland and occurs more patchily in England and Northern Ireland. It does not occur in Wales (2).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
Source | http://www.arkive.org/sika-deer/cervus-nippon/ |
Cervus nippon is polygamous, and a successful male will gather as many as 12 females on his territory over the course of the mating (rutting) season (Feldhamer 1980, Nowak 1991). In addition, during the rutting season males quickly deplete their fat stores and may lose up to 20-30% of their body weight (Feldhamer 1980, Flerov 1952). Females, however, do not lose weight during the 6 week rutting season and may associate with a number of bucks in order to gain access to a number of feeding locations (Feldhamer 1980).
Mating System: polygynous
Both sexes reach reproductive maturity at 16-18 months (Nowak 1991). Sika deer breed in the fall (September and October), and births of single offspring occur in May and June after a gestation period of approximately 30 weeks ( http://www.assateague.com/sika.html 1997 and Nowak 1991). The newborn young weighs about 4.5-7.0 kg and is nursed from 1 of its mother's 4 mammae for up to 10 months on an increasingly fatty milk (contains approximately 13% fat at the inception of the lactation period and 30% fat at its conclusion) (Feldhamer 1980 and Nowak 1991). The birth of calves usually takes place in forested areas or open fields, but small outlying patches of cover may be used in some cases (Feldhamer 1980).
Some researchers have proposed that interbreeding between Japanese sika deer and red deer has occurred, yielding hybrid animals with an adaptive advantage over their purebred relatives (Putman 1988).
Breeding interval: Breeding occurs once yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs in the fall, from September through October.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average gestation period: 7 months.
Range time to independence: 10 to 12 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 16 to 18 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 16 to 18 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); viviparous
Average birth mass: 5750 g.
Average gestation period: 210 days.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Female sika deer care for their young for up to a year after birth.
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Cervus_nippon/ |