Fallow deer

Fallow deer have keen senses of smell, sight, and hearing that help them find food and stay alert to predators. One of their most striking features is coat variety — a single population can include chocolate brown, spotted, white, and even black individuals, all of the same species. Bucks grow simple “spike” antlers in their first year, then develop broad, shovel-shaped (“palmate”) antlers in later years that can reach 20–38 inches long, among the most distinctive antler shapes of any deer species.

Native to the Mediterranean region and Asia Minor, fallow deer were spread widely across Europe by the Romans, who kept them in hunting parks and enclosures — a practice that’s part of why the species is now found well outside its original range. They’re herd animals, and during the autumn breeding season, called the rut, bucks compete for mates through antler-clashing and a distinctive deep “groaning” call that can be heard across long distances. Fallow deer are also known for a bouncing, four-legged gait called “stotting,” used to signal alertness to predators and other deer.

See our fallow deer at Plumpton Park Zoo — plan your visit today.