- Lifespan
- 10–12 years in the wild, up to 16 years in captivity
- Size & Weight
- 90–135 cm body length; 45–75 cm shoulder height; 15–30 kg
- Habitat
- Woodland edges, scrubland, young conifer plantations, and mixed deciduous forests with dense undergrowth for cover and open areas for feeding.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread and resident throughout England and Scotland, particularly abundant in the Midlands, East Anglia, and Scottish Borders. Absent from most of Wales and south-west England. Year-round resident with no migration.
- Diet
- Herbivorous; grazes on grasses, clover, and forbs in spring and summer, and browses on shoots, bark, lichens, and conifer needles in autumn and winter.
- Predators
- Foxes (primary predator of fawns), lynx (historically), wolves (historically), and domestic dogs; fawns also vulnerable to badgers and corvids.
- Mating Season
- July to August
- Breeding
- Does give birth to 1–3 fawns (typically 2) after a gestation of 290–295 days, with births occurring in May to June. Implantation is delayed; does are typically receptive for only 24–36 hours during oestrus.
- Behaviour
- Solitary or in small family groups; territorial, particularly males which establish and defend territories year-round. Crepuscular and nocturnal, most active at dawn and dusk. Males produce a loud barking call during the rut.