Live weights of Fallow deer (Dama dama) in British deer parks

A total of 313 Fallow deer from six parks were caught and weighed in the two winters 1979–80 and 1980–81. Mean live weights for the sex-age classes caught are presented for each park, and the variation in weights between parks is discussed.     

Seasonal changes in the male accessory glands of reproduction in adult Fallow deer (Dama dama)

The accessory glands of reproduction of male Fallow deer ( Dama dama L.) comprise paired ampullae which are expansions of the caudal portions of the vas deferens, paired seminal vesicles, a prostate and a disseminate prostate embedded in the pelvic urethra. All the glands undergo an annual cycle of growth and regression, reaching their maximum development in October at the time of the rut. Parallel changes were observed in the testes.     

The use of tooth eruption and wear, body weight and antler characteristics in the age estimation of male wild and park Fallow deer (Dama dama)

The eruption and wear of the cheek teeth of male Fallow deer from a park and wild population has been studied for age determination purposes. It was found possible to age accurately up to 48 months animals whose date of death was known, whether they were from a wild or park population. It was found that up to at least this age individual and environmental differences affecting animals born in successive years did not mask those resulting fromthe restricted seasonal breeding of this species.
Antler development and body weight were studied in relation to the ages obtained and were found to be of limited value for age estimation.     

Age and seasonal coat changes in long haired and normal Fallow deer (Dama dama)

Coat changes from birth to the second winter coat in a long haired variety of Fallow deer are described and compared with normal deer. The long haired deer are characterised by a dense, curly crown and long tufts of hair growing from the ears. The long haired coat always contained a high proportion of growing hairs in contrast to the normal coat in which there were discrete generations of growing hairs. The difference between the long haired and normal deer was most marked in the first winter when the hairs of the long coat were longer and finer than normal and tended to be easily wetted in contrast to the normal coarse winter coat.     

Development of Social Behavior in the Fallow Deer (Dama dama)

An einer halbwilden Herde des Damhirsches (Dama dama) wurde 19 Monate lang das Sozialverhalten, vor allem die Bedeutung frühontogenetischer Erfahrungen für die Entwicklung des arttypischen Verhaltens untersucht. Zahlreiche optische, akustische und Berührungs-Reize dienen der Warnung, der Rangordnung oder der Verständigung zwischen Geschlechtspartnern oder Eltern und Kindern. Isoliert aufgezogene Jungtiere reagierten in typischen Situationen mit den gleichen Signalen wie in der Herde aufgewachsene und beantworteten, in die Herde gebracht, die arttypischen Signale der anderen richtig. Allerdings wurden diese Tiere von der Herde nicht aufgenommen und standen noch nach 3 Jahren abseits. Die isolierte Aufzucht beeinträchtigt also das Sozialleben stark, indem es die Bindung an Artgenossen verhindert. Diese Bindung ist aber wohl nötig, wo bestimmte Verhaltenselemente von Artgenossen gelernt werden müssen.     

Effects of immunocontraception on behavior in fallow deer (Dama dama)

Immunocontraceptives can control growth in wild and captive populations; however, in doing so, they should not disrupt species‐typical behavior patterns. The presence of treated females could disrupt social interactions in a population; yet, few studies have examined effects of immunocontraception on behavior. The goal of this project was to determine whether behavior in a fallow deer (Dama dama) population vaccinated with porcine anti‐zona pellucida (pZP)‐immunocontraceptives differed from behavior in a population of unvaccinated deer. We predicted that pZP‐treated females would spend a higher percentage of time exhibiting mating and dominance behavior than nontreated females, and that males interacting with pZP‐treated females would spend a higher percentage of time demonstrating mating and aggressive behavior than males interacting with nontreated females. We recorded activity budgets of males and females in two fallow deer populations, one pZP‐treated and the other untreated, before, during, and after rut. Females did not differ in time spent displaying mating or dominance behavior compared to nontreated females. Males coexisting with nontreated females spent more time exhibiting aggressive behavior during rut than males living with pZP‐treated females, but males did not differ in time spent in mating behavior. Thus, immunocontraception did not seem to affect behavior adversely. However, sample sizes, living conditions, and sex ratios may have affected the results. Given these limitations, future research is needed to confirm our findings. Zoo Biol 27:49–61, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Conception rates following intrauterine insemination of European (Dama dama dama) fallow deer does with fresh or frozen-thawed Mesopotamian (Dama dama mesopotamica) fallow deer spermatoza

A total of 121 European fallow deer does, being either parous ( n = 15) or nulliparous ( n = 106), were treated with intravaginal progesterone impregnated controlled internal drug release (CIDR) devices for 14 days. The does were divided into three treatment groups and inseminated in utero by laparoscopy, at approximately 65 hours after CIDR device removal, with 25 × 10⁶ fresh Mesopotamian ( n = 40), 25–35 × 10⁶ frozen-thawed Mesopotamian ( n = 41) or 30–32.5 × 10⁶ frozen-thawed European ( n = 40) fallow deer spermatozoa. The semen used had been collected, from two Mesopotamian and two European fallow deer bucks, by electroejaculation under general anaesthesia. Pregnancy was diagnosed by rectal ultrasonogrdphy on Day 50 after insemination.
There were no apparent differences in the quality of ejaculates between the two subspecies of fallow deer. The volume of semen and the total number of spermatozoa ranged between 0.6–1.2 ml and 2.11–4.95 × 10⁹ per ml of semen, respectively. Evaluation of frozen-thawed spermatozoa revealed post-thaw motility rates between 50–70%. The overall conception rate was 65.3%. A higher conception rate was observed following insemination with European than Mesopotamian frozen-thawed spermatozoa (75% vs. 53.7%, respectively, P < 0.05). Insemination with fresh Mesopotamian spermatozoa increased the conception rate to a level not significantly different from that observed following insemination with European frozen-thawed spermatozoa (67.5% vs. 75%, for fresh Mesopotamian and frozen-thawed European semen, respectively).     

Suckling and Allosuckling in Captive Fallow Deer (Dama dama,Cervidae)

Suckling and allosuckling were studied in relation to the age and sex of fawns in a captive population of fallow deer (Dama dama) showing a high rate of allosuckling (73% of the suckling bouts). No difference occurred between the sexes in either the duration or frequency of suckling and allosuckling. The frequency of suckling bouts decreased rapidly during the first four weeks of life while the frequency of allosuckling bouts increased rapidly between the second and the third week and remained constant until the conclusion of the observations (11th week of life). Birth date affected allosuckling, with late-born fawns performing fewer and shorter allosuckling bouts. The lack of a negative relationship between suckling and allosuckling frequencies failed to confirm the hypothesis that allosuckling allows fawns to complete their milk requirements on foster mothers. Both inbreeding and crowding could explain the absence of particular relationship between fawns and foster mothers.     

Seasonal changes in the prepuce of adult Fallow deer (Dama dama) and its probable function as a scent organ

The penis sheath of adult Fallow deer, which is an integral part of the abdominal skin, extends from the scrotum to the preputial orifice. Marked seasonal changes occur in the prepuce. In the non-rutting animal, the outer region of the prepuce, which is similar in structure to normal skin, passes through a transition zone characterized by a corrugated epidermis and multi-lobed sebaceous glands, before becoming the inner-sheath lining. Just before the rut, hypertrophy of the epidermis of the transition zone occurs with the formation of keratinous villi-like processes. The sebaceous glands enlarge and lipid production is increased. At the beginning of the rut, the transition zone everts and becomes located on the outer periphery of the prepuce, which now has the appearance of a dark brown, coarse, short-haired brush. At this stage, the animal and its voided urine develop a characteristic pungent odour whereas urine aspirated from the bladder is relatively odourless. After the rut, the prepuce returns to normal, the keratinous papillae being shed. It is suggested that the strong smelling rutting odour of male Fallow deer helps to synchronize oestrus in the females. The gross hyperkeratosis and associated epidermal hypertrophy of the prepuce produces a sponge-like mass which may help in scent production and dispersal.     

Cardiac rhabdomyoma in a juvenile fallow deer (Dama dama)

A cardiac rhabdomyoma is described in a 6-wk-old captive fallow deer (Dama dama) that died suddenly without previous clinical signs. The tumor was characterized by multiple nodules composed of large atypical vacuolated myoblastic cells. As previously reported in humans and other animal species, there is compelling evidence that the cardiac rhabdomyoma is a congenital developmental anomaly rather than a true neoplasm. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cardiac tumor and a rhabdomyoma in a cervid species.     

Functional directional asymmetry in fallow deer (Dama dama) antlers

The right antlers of fallow deer are significantly more developed than the left antlers with respect to the lengths of the beam, trez tine and palm, as well as antler weight and number of points. The cross-section at the base is also more elliptical in the right antler. The size difference is correlated with the more intense use of right antlers in fighting, and with the greater breadth of the areas of insertion of the neck muscles in the skull's nuchal region.     

Suckling time and fawn growth in fallow deer (Dama dama)

The total suckling time and the fawns' absolute increase in weight from birth to weaning were studied in a group of fallow deer over two consecutive calving seasons. The aim was to clarify the use of suckling time as a predictor of parental input in fallow deer. When all subjects from both years are taken into account, no positive relation between suckling time and growth was found. This was due to at least two important factors: (i) fawns to primiparous mothers sucked relatively longer, with no corresponding increase in weight, compared to multiparous mothers; and (ii) suckling time during the first two weeks after birth seems to be an inadequate measure of milk transfer.     

Report on Fallow deer (Dama dama L.) obtained from Epping Forest during May–December 1964

Fallow deer killed in road accidents in Epping Forest during 1964 have been examined as part of an investigation of this dark coloured herd. Most of the deer were killed in October and November. More males were killed than females. It would appear that the winter coat differs from the summer coat only in being thicker and less glossy; the hairs are coarser and there is a tendency for the spots to be less apparent. Fawns have a spotted coat. The health of the deer appears to be good. The animals have been weighed and measured and the skins and skeletons have been preserved. The bones, stomach, intestines, reproductive organs, thyroid and adrenal glands, lungs, liver, kidneys and spleen have been examined and/or preserved from most of the animals.