The fallow deer, also known by the archaic term of damma or dama, is an ungulate of the cervidae family.
Il fallow deer (Dama dama), also known by the archaic term of damma or dama. This animal belongs to the class of mammals, to the superorder of the Ungulates, to the order of the artiodactyls and to the family of the cervids.. Its bearing and very elegant physical appearance make it a fascinating and graceful animal in its movements. Knowing this animal allows us to conserve and preserve the species, which is also widespread in Italy. The fallow deer it has an intermediate build between the deer and the roe deer, it has a weight between 50 and 90 kg, for a height at the withers of 80/110 cm, The length of the body is equal to 135/160 cm; the female fallow deer are smaller than the male specimens.
DAINO - The cloak
Il fallow deer during the year it changes two coats: an autumn / winter one of a typically brownish-gray color, a type of coloring that makes the white knob less visible, and a spring / summer one with a reddish-brown coat with a black median dorsal stripe from the neck to the tail and white spots on the back and sides. In the young specimens it is characteristic the dark brown coat with pommel along the sides (Bambi). It is also possible to find an almost blackish-brown coat of the "melanic variety", the latter caused by a genetic factor, always in any case pomellato. Furthermore, only the male specimens carry the stage made up of two poles, from which two, three or more points spread with the palmate terminal part.
DAINO - Origins
Il fallow deer it is native to the Mediterranean area and has been introduced since Roman times throughout Europe from the southern Mediterranean to north / eastern Africa and Asia Minor. The fallow deer inhabits both broad-leaved and coniferous forests, the Mediterranean scrub and uncultivated areas. In our country it is widespread throughout the territory from the Alps to the Apennines. The feeding habits of the fallow deer make it a typical intermediate type opportunist grazer, that is an animal that tends to be not very selective in the choice of food, able to modify its behavior in relation to food availability and metabolic needs relating to the different annual periods. The fallow deer manages to be satisfied with the food it finds, without causing particular damage to the soil and vegetation, since its diet consists of grass, leaves, sprouts, fruit and mushrooms of all kinds. Being a ruminant, that is an animal which swallows food and then regurgitates it to chew it better in safer places, its feeding continues throughout the day, with ingestion peaks at dawn and dusk.
DAINO - The mating
Reproduction of the fallow deer takes place through a mating period that begins between mid-October and early November: the males, generally solitary, join groups of females and cubs, moving away the young males and defining their own territory that will come strenuously defended against other other suitors to the sound of horns. Males also stop feeding to better keep an eye on their harem, claiming possession of the latter with their bellow. Only on some occasions there are fights with serious injuries, since at the time of the challenge between males for the control of a territory a precise ritual is followed and the flattened shape of the adult antlers avoids major damage. The female specimens go into estrus several times during the mating season, even if they tend to mate and carry on the pregnancy only at the first seasonal estrus.
DAINO - The growth of the young
With the imminence of the birth, the female goes away to give birth in the thick of the bush a single cub, which will be able to see and walk a few hours after birth. The female and the cub return to the pack only after 10 days: until that moment the cub is suckled every 4 hours approximately. The female, during this period, goes away to feed and the cub relies on its mimetic coat and its characteristic of not emitting odors so as not to be identified by predators. After the first month of life, the young fallow deer learns to feed on solid foods, even if it will not be completely weaned before seven months, becoming independent at about one year of age and reaching sexual maturity after about a year and a half in the year. case of the male specimens, while for the females it takes two years to become fertile. In particular, the males have to wait four years in order to have an adequate body size and antlers to be able to successfully challenge some dominant male. The average life span of a fallow deer is around 9-10 years.
DAINO - Distribution
To describe the distribution of the fallow deer, it is necessary to take a step back in time. After the last glaciation, the species had become extinct in Europe but present in Asia Minor, in Persia, in Mesopotamia and in North Africa. Over the centuries, the fallow deer managed to reconquer Europe, thanks to controlled introductions for hunting purposes and to escapes from the aristocratic estates, where the fallow deer were raised. After expansionism in Europe, the fallow deer conquers the other continents, with a new wave of introduction of numerous allochthonous populations in Siberia, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, South Africa and Canada.
In our country, the species reappeared during the Middle Ages, after being extinct with the ice age. The most ancient populations present on the Italian territory have been found near San Rossore and Castelporziano, as well as the extinct one of Sardinia, the latter now replaced by recently introduced individuals. The most numerous semi-wild populations of fallow deer are present in most of the large Italian parks and reserves, with the exception of the regions of Abruzzo and Molise.
DAINO - The breeding
Il fallow deer it is bred in captivity by man both for culinary use and to be reintroduced into nature, although some specimens are also bred to be used as ornamental garden animals. The greatest dangers for fallow deer are pollution, deforestation and indiscriminate hunting without rules. A hunting activity towards this animal without precise censuses, in order to verify the real quantity and distribution of the specimens, leads to a rapid downsizing of the population, for which it will take years to bring it back into balance. Poaching, unfortunately increasingly practiced, causes incalculable damage to this species and to those who, in full compliance with the law and the rules of hunting ethics, wish to hunt this animal.