About Elaphurus davidianus Milne-Edwards, 1866
Adult Père David's deer have a head-and-body length between 1.9 and 2.2 meters (6.2–7.2 ft), and stand about 1.2 meters (3.9 ft) tall at the shoulder. Their tail is relatively long for a deer, measuring 50–66 centimeters (20–26 in) when straightened. Adult body weight ranges between 135 and 200 kilograms (300–440 lb). They have long, slender heads with large eyes, very large preorbital glands, a naked nose pad, and small, pointed ears. Their branched antlers are unique: long tines point backward, while the main beam extends almost directly upward. Deer may grow two pairs of antlers per year. The larger summer antler set is dropped in November, after the summer rut. If a second set appears, it is fully grown by January and falls off a few weeks later. Their coat is reddish tan in summer, and changes to a dull gray in winter. Long wavy guard hairs are present in the coat year-round, and the coat becomes woolier during winter. They have a mane on the neck and throat, and a black dorsal stripe running along the cervicothoracic spine. The tail has a dark tuft at its end. Their large, spreading hooves make clicking sounds when the animal moves, just like reindeer hooves. Père David's deer is a semiaquatic species that swims well, and often spends long periods standing in water up to its shoulders. While it is predominantly a grazer, it supplements its grass-based diet with aquatic plants during the summer.
