Key Takeaways
| Scientific Name | Capreolus pygargus |
| Common Names | Siberian roe deer, Eastern roe deer, Asian roe deer |
| Distribution | Eastern Europe, central and eastern parts of Asia. |
| Habitat | Places that has mild weather |
| Size | As long as 146 cm or 4.8 ft and can weigh as much as 59 kg or 130 lb |
Introduction
The Siberian roe deer is an interesting type of deer that lives in the northeastern part of Asia. Some people also call it the Eastern roe deer or the Asian roe deer.
Physical Characteristics
Siberian roe deer is a medium-sized deer with a long neck and big ears. It’s about as long as 146 cm or 4.8 ft and can weigh as much as 59 kg or 130 lb.
Antlers
One of the most distinguishing features of the Siberian roe deer is its antlers. They are:
- Long and branched
- Larger than those of European roe deer
- Lose their antlers in the fall or early winter
- New ones start to grow back soon after.
Coat
The Siberian roe deer’s coat changes with the seasons:
- In the winter, the ones that live in the north exhibit light gray coloring
- The south has grayish-brown and ochraceous
- Bellies are a creamy color and the caudal patch is white
- In the summer, their coloring turns reddish
- Young ones have spots on their coat
Habitat and Distribution
Siberian roe deer lives in places that has mild weather. This area includes Eastern Europe, central and eastern parts of Asia.
Current Distribution
The Siberian roe deer is currently found in:
- Siberia
- Mongolia
- Kazakhstan
- The Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan
- Eastern Tibet
- The Korean Peninsula
- Northern China
Past Distribution
Fossil records show that the Siberian roe deer’s territory once stretched to:
- The northern Caucasus Mountains
- Eastern Ukraine
Behavior and Lifestyle
Siberian roe deer most active during night. During the summer, they like to spend time alone. But when winter comes, they are in groups that can have as many as 20 to 30 deer. Some Siberian roe deer even go on mass migrations where they can end up in really big groups of up to 500 deer.
Communication
They have their own way of talking to each other using vocals signals. They can make six different types of vocals, they can squeak or whistle, make a rasping sound, bark, whine, scream, and even make nonvocal sounds.
Diet and Nutrition
Siberian roe deer eat more than 600 different species of plants. Most of what they eat are herbaceous dicotyledons (58%) and monocotyledons (16%). They also eat woody plants (22%) and usually get the water they need from the foods they eat instead of drinking it directly.
Winter Diet
In the winter, when food is hard to find, they slow down their metabolic rate.
Summer Diet
In the summer, they need to eat foods that have sodium so they visit natural salt licks to get it.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Siberian roe’s deer mates in August and September. After gestation period for about 280 to 300 days, the female usually has two fawns, at once. These little fawns are feds several times a day for about 4 to 5 months. Female deer are sexually mature on their first year, but they usually wait until the second. Male deer usually sexually matures on their third year.
Lifespan
Their life-span does not usually exceed 10 years.
Conservation Status
The Siberian roe deer is currently listed as a species of least concern.
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