The Red Deer, like the Roe Deer, is native to England and can be found in the Lake District, Exmoor, Norfolk and the New Forest. It is a large mammal that has a reddish brown fur in summer and a grey or dark brown fur in winter. The female Red Deer is called a ‘Hind’ and the male is called a ‘Stag’. The Stag has long antlers and long shaggy hair on the front of its neck which looks like a mane.

The Stag’s antlers fall off in April or May and new antlers start to grow again after about a week. The antlers are covered in a velvet-like fur which starts to drop off after about three months, but sometimes it just hangs down in strips. The Stag rubs its antlers against trees to try and get rid of any unwanted fur.

Red Deer prefer to live in woodlands and forests that have open glades where there is a good supply of food. They like to eat grass, dandelions, moss and leaves. They regurgitate their food which means they partly chew it, swallow it and then bring it up to chew again before swallowing. This semi-digested food is known as ‘cud’. Red Deer like to find safe and secure places to chew their cud in peace and quiet.