Only a few species of deer live in the rainforest. The most well-known is the Brown Rocket Deer (Mazama nemorivaga) which is found in the Amazon rainforest in South America. Most deer prefer more temperate deciduous and coniferous forests in North America and Europe.
Deer can live in different environments. Most deer species in the rainforest areas like to stay along the forest edges and open fields. The forest surroundings enable the deer, mostly the bucks, to shed their antlers while rubbing themselves along the vegetation
Where do Deer Live in Forests?
Deer maximize their cover and shelter by living in the pine trees in coniferous forests.
Deer herds are famous for living their families in an ideal environment along with coniferous trees.
Researchers from Massachusetts noticed that the local coniferous forests were host to a high population of deer.
Deer move from the meadows into the forests during winter for security and shelter.
Related Article: Where Do Deer Go To Give Birth?
Do Elk Live In Rainforests?
Elk don’t live in rainforests. Elk are mostly found in the region West of the Rocky Mountains in coniferous forests.
They had almost become extinct because of excessive hunting but conservation efforts have helped revive their numbers.
Elk prefer living in mountainous areas because it is hard for them to be hunted there.
Predators such as wolves and cougars have a hard time chasing the elk through the rocky terrain increasing their chances of survival.
Related Article: Does It Hurt When Deer Shed Antlers?
Do Moose Live In Rainforests?
Moose do not live in rainforests, since their large size makes it hard for them to survive in warm temperatures. Moose are found in cold forested areas in North America.
Moose are well adapted to cold conditions. They have grown heavy coats called guard hairs to help them survive such treacherous conditions. During summer they are often seen cooling off in water areas.
The hair is hollow, helping them retain heat and keep warm. Moose are also excellent swimmers and are able to transverse through large bodies of water.
Read More: Deer vs Moose vs Elk Differences
Where do Caribou Live?
Caribou are mostly found in Alaska and Canada. They are also found in the northern regions of Europe and Asia.
Caribou are also adapted to live in cold conditions. They have adapted over the years and developed guard hairs to keep them warm in the cold. In summer their foot pads become soft to help them walk on the soggy ground but harden during winter.
How do Deer Feed in the Forest?
Deer graze on the grass on the ground and browse on trees that are in the forest. The herbivorous nature of the deer enables them to feed both on the vegetation and fruits, mosses, and nuts.
The forest is home to over 650 plant species. Deer are herbivores and are able to feed on plant materials. They are ruminants meaning they have four chambered stomach that enable them to digest any kind of plant
Available in deer stomachs are symbiotic bacteria. The bacteria are especially helpful in the breaking down of hard cellulose.
Deer are also classified as browsers. Browsers feed on high-growing plants. This means that they feed on leaves, soft shoots, foliage and shrubs. They can easily survive on these because of the unavailability of grass in the forest.
Read More: Can Deer Eat Pumpkins?
How do Deer Survive in the Forest?
Deer species such as the white-tailed deer often found in the forest have several adaptations to survive in the woods.
The adaptations enable them to be comfortable when they live in different places in the forest. Deer adaptations to the forest include:
1. Undetectable Fawns
Brand new fawns are left in hidden places where they lie motionless to reduce the chances of attracting the predators.
The mother deer also consumes the fawn’s waste to destroy the evidence that indicates its presence. The doe changes the fawn’s location regularly to reduce the chances of attracting the predators.
When the fawns are more than one, they are kept in remote areas to increase the chances of survival.
Fawns also have less scent than adults and an instinctive brown coat with pale spots that enable them to remain hidden when predators approach them in the forest.
2. Acute Senses
The white-tailed deer has eyes placed on the side of their skull. Their location on the sides gives them I wide field of view enabling them to see when approached by predators.
Moreover, the deer has large ears that change directions to trap sounds hence pinpointing its source efficiently. The ears enable the deer to be cautious when running; hence they can hear anything in motion in front of them
Furthermore, a large part of their brains functions to receive and interpret the scents’ impulses. Deer have very acute sense of smell. Their sense of smell is considered nearly as good as a dog’s.
This strong sense of smell helps deer in many ways like finding food and detecting approaching predators. It is hard to sneak up on deer because of this.
3. Flexible Legs
White-tailed deer are famous because of their fast nature and agility. The deer have long legs that are made of strong muscles and ligaments.
The strong muscles enable them to sprint through the forest trees and jump from lying trees about 30 feet wide and 10 feet in height. The deer can run for about 30 miles per hour along a wooded terrain in the forest areas, hence escaping from predators easily.
Furthermore, white-tailed deer are known to live near water sources in forests. They adapt to being good swimmers, using large bodies of water as getaway routes.
Their legs are also adapted to defend the deer against predators such as coyotes. The deer has sharp hooves in which the front ones are enlarged and longer than the back ones.
This enables them to use the front hooves as defense mechanisms against predators like wolves by killing with blows.
Conclusion
Deer live in a range of environments, including in the forest. In fact, deer like the forest because they can be less detectable if hidden in amongst trees and overgrowth.
Because deer live in forests, you’re more likely to find deer in forested areas or venturing into towns that are surrounded by trees.
Stuart is the editor of Fauna Facts. He edits our writers’ work as well as contributing his own content. Stuart is passionate about sustainable farming and animal welfare and has written extensively on cows and geese for the site.