Coat colour

Coat colour generally varies between red and brown,[17] though it can be as dark as chocolate brown in the tufted deer[18] or have a grayish tinge as in elk.[13] Different species of brocket deer vary from gray to reddish brown in coat colour.[19] Sev

eral species such as the chital,[20] the fallow deer[21] and the sika deer[22] feature white spots on a brown coat. Coat of reindeer shows notable geographical variation.[23] Deer undergo two moults in a year;[17][24] for instance, in red deer the red, thin-haired

summer coat is gradually replaced by the dense, greyish brown winter coat in autumn, which in turn gives way to the summer coat in the following spring.[25] Moulting is affected by the photoperiod.[26]

Deer are also excellent jumpers and swimmers. Deer are ruminants, or cud-chewers, and have a four-chambered stomach. Some deer, such as those on the island of Rùm,[27] do consume meat when it is available.[28]

File:Baby fawn’s first steps.ogv
A fawn’s first steps
Nearly all deer have a facial gland in front of each eye. The gland contains a strongly scented pheromone, used to mark its home ran

ge. Bucks of a wide range of species open these glands wide when angry or excited. All deer have a liver without a gallbladder. Deer also have a tapetum lucidum, which gives them sufficiently good night vision.