Description
Red Deer Stag (Cervus elaphus) RDS118
The Red Deer is evident in most parts of Europe and after a considerable effort in conservation work, especially in Britain, their population has increased. The stag (male) can weigh 90 – 190 kg and the hind (female) 63 – 120kg, making the Red Deer Britain’s largest land mammal.
Their coat can vary between red/brown in summer to brown/grey in winter. In spring the stag grows antlers which he sheds each year towards the end of winter. The antlers are made of bone and can weigh between 1kg and 5kg.
In spring the antlers are covered in a velvet layer to protect them whilst growing. The antlers can grow at an amazing rate of 2.5cms per day!. When fully grown, the velvet is shed and the antlers calcify ready for the ‘rut’ (mating season) which occurs around the end of September to November. The antlers should grow in complexity with the age of the stag, up to about 10 years old. A stag with 12 points to his set is named a ‘Royal Stag’, 14 to his set and he becomes an ‘Imperial Stag’ and with an impressive 16 points or more he is then referred to as a ‘Monarch’.
