(Capreolus capreolus), an even-toed ungulate of the family Cervidae. The body length may reach 150 cm; the animal stands 100 cm high at the shoulder. The male weighs up to 55 kg; the female weighs somewhat less. The animal has a light and slender frame. The tail is short and hidden in the hairs. The male has antlers with three, sometimes four, tines; the female has no antlers. The summer coat is reddish, and the winter coat is gray with a lighter underside. The light hairs on the rump around the tail form a “mirror.”
The roe deer is distributed in most of Europe, the western part of Southwest Asia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the mountains of Southern Siberia, Mongolia, and the Far East (in the north to 60°N lat.). It lives in sparse forests from the coastal plains to the alpine belt, in the forest steppe, and sometimes in rushes. It feeds on grass, leaves, and the shoots of bushes and trees. In the winter it sometimes feeds on lichens and mosses. The roe deer mates in August to October. The female gives birth to two or three young in May or June. The main enemy is the wolf. The roe deer is sought commercially for its meat, hide, and antlers.
I. I. SOKOLOV