The Mammal Society

For Evidence Based Conservation

Chinese Water Deer – Hydropotes inermis

 

Habitat: Urban & gardens, rivers and wetland, coastal & marshland, deciduous woodland, grassland, arable land
 
Description: Small, compact deer, pale fawn with large rounded ears and conspicuous button-black eyes. The males (bucks) have no antlers, but have long tusk-like canines. Slightly taller, and much paler than muntjac and lacks the hump-backed look. Appears more like a diminutive roe deer.
 
Size: 82-106 cm; tail length 2.5-9 cm; shoulder height 42-65 cm.
 
Weight: Males 12-18.5 kg; females 14-17.4 kg.
 
Lifespan: Known to live at least six years.
 
Origin & Distribution: The Chinese water deer is native to E China (Yangtze flood plain) and Korea. They were introduced to Woburn Park, Bedfordshire, in 1896, and Whipsnade Zoo in 1929-30. They were deliberately released into surrounding woodlands from 1901 onwards, but there have been numerous releases, translocations, and escapes. The Chinese water deer was first reported in the wild in Buckinghamshire in 1945. They have a limited range in East Anglia and adjacent counties and are still spreading. However, they have not reached as wide a range or abundance as Reeves’ muntjac. Some colonies seem to have died out, and also seems to have been displaced in some places by muntjac.

Water deer seem to prefer wetlands adjoining woodland and fen, though they often range onto nearby   farmland. They are most evident in the Norfolk Broads and in the coastal wetlands. A feral, uncontained, population in the grounds of Whipsnade inhabits parkland and dry woodland, with no wetland available.

Diet: They feed mostly around dawn and dusk, on weeds, grasses, herbs and some browse. Although they often feed in arable fields, they seem to be eating weeds rather than crops.
 
General Ecology: Bucks and does are territorial, marking twigs with scent from the prominent preorbital gland. Dung piles around the territory boundary also seem to be markers. Water deer do not form herds, but are seen either solitarily or in family groups of a doe with her kids. Loose groups may come together on favoured feeding areas.
 
Breeding: The rut is in December, when males fight viciously with their tusks. The female often has twins, sometimes up to 4 kids, after a gestation of 160- 210 days. Kids are born in May-June, and although they are weaned in about 3 months, remain with their mother into winter. They then disperse, but mortality at this time is high, and although they become sexually mature, young seem to have difficulty maintaining a territory.
 
Conservation Status: Chinese water deer have not, so far, posed the problems that are caused by muntjac. Densities are typically much lower (at around 10/km2) and the habitats they occupy are less sensitive to browsing damage. Road mortality seems to be important, and some are shot.
 

Identification

Small deer with sandy brown coat in summer, paler in winter with rump same colour and a stumpy tail. No antlers but males have long curved tusks (upper canine teeth) protruding past the lip.

Field Signs
Download a printable field sign guide here!

Footprints: Chinese Water Deer have small footprints, only muntjac have smaller prints. Width 3-4cm, length 4-5cm. However, be very careful not confuse these with sheep or goat footprints.

Droppings: Deer droppings do not have obvious coloration or smell. The droppings tend to be of a similar shape across all species.

Tail: The Chinese water deer has a dark rump, but most importantly, only a very small stumpy tail.

 

Confusion species

Muntjac deer (Muntiacus reevesi)
Tail held vertical when alarmed to show white underside, chinese water deer does not do this. Male has short single spike antlers pointing backwards, non-existent in chinese water deer. Males also have ‘tusks’ (upper canine teeth) protruding about 2cm below lip. These are much smaller than the chinese water deer’s tusks, which reach around 7cm below the lip. Muntjac has two vertical stripes down the face, on the inside of each eye. It is often said that chinese water deer face looks like a teddy bear.

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)
Cream/white rump (oval shaped in males and upside down heart shape in females), with no visible tail. Chinese water deer rump is same colour as rest of coat and has a stumpy tail. Roe does not have any tusks (protruding upper canine teeth) whilst chinese water deer does. Roe has small pointed antlers, with no more than 3 points. Chinese water deer has no antlers. Roe has distinctive black nose and white chin. It is often said that chinese water deer face looks like a teddy bear.

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