Wildlife
Sika deer are excellent swimmers, readily taking to water to escape predators. Surprisingly, this woodland deer is more than capable of swimming up to 12km in the sea. During the mating season, or rut, males make a loud whistling call that can be heard from 1km away. With their browsing, grazing and a liking for some crops, sika deer can be considered a serious pest. Native to Asia, they were introduced to parks in the UK in 1860, but escapees have established themselves in our countryside. Sika deer are considered to be sacred in Japanese culture.
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Running wild
Non-native sika deer have made a few pockets of Britain their home.
Non-native sika deer have made a few pockets of Britain their home.
Sounds of sika
The eerie sounds of the sika deer rut resonate through a Dorset woodland.
The eerie sounds of the sika deer rut resonate through a Dorset woodland.
Rear of the deer
The definitive guide to deer backsides - the view usually seen!
Simon King with the definitive guide to deer backsides - the view usually seen!
The following habitats are found across the Sika deer distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Population trend: Increasing
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The sika deer, Cervus nippon, also known as the spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia, and introduced to various other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south to the Russian Far East in the north, it is now uncommon in these areas, excluding Japan, where the species is overabundant. Its name comes from shika (鹿?), the Japanese word for "deer".
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Oak wood
Farmland
Beech wood
Heathland
Marsh
Wildflower meadow
Mountain grassland
Parkland
Broadleaf forest
Coniferous forest
Temperate grassland
Urban
Shedding body parts
Helpless young
Tactile sense
Acoustic communication
Herbivorous
Maternal care
Moulting
Nocturnal
Polygynous
Social
Adapted to running
Chemical communication
Sexual dimorphism
Territorial
Visual communication
Viviparous