Axis is the most beautiful representative of the deer family. Deer in mythology Deer: description and photo

Axis, also known as the Indian deer, is common in India, Pakistan, Ceylon, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

In addition, Indian deer were brought to Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil and Hawaiian Islands. In nature, there are two subspecies of axes.

Features of the appearance of axes

These deer are small with long legs. Throughout the body there is a fairly even spotting, and it remains throughout all seasons. The Indian deer is considered the most beautiful in the family. In females and males throughout life, the coat remains a bright red color with well-defined white spots. There are no spots only on the head.

The horns of the axes are three-pointed, the stumps are quite long. The horns curve strongly backwards. Reindeer shed them usually in August, but sometimes it can happen at other times as well.

Axises reach a height at the withers of 75-97 centimeters, and grow up to 110-140 centimeters in length, their weight varies between 75-100 kilograms.

Axis habitats

Indian deer were known to the Romans. Animals were specially brought to hunting farms and parks.

These animals are well acclimatized in those places where there is no severe cold and there is not too high snow cover.

In Europe, there are herds of Indian deer over 150 years old. These deer have become so prolific in New Zealand that they have become a threat to forests, in connection with this, in some national parks they even had to be shot.

At home, axises live in subtropical and tropical forests. They try to stay close to rivers, as they hide from predators in the water. Indian deer prefer to graze in forest glades overgrown with grass, they avoid dry places and high mountains.

Indian deer lifestyle

Axises feed on grass and foliage of shrubs and trees. They live in small groups, but sometimes gather in herds, which can contain more than 30 goals. They roam in herds, gathering from 10 to several hundred together. Indian deer are often found near villages.

Reproduction of Indian deer

Like other tropical deer, the axis does not have a specific period in which they would shed their antlers. The breeding season is also not clearly defined. But at the same time, the peak of the rut is observed in May.

The beauty and grace of this noble animal has invariably conquered human hearts at all times, and even the irreconcilable conflict between Christianity and paganism, which completely ruined the reputation of many once revered animals, did not in the least overshadow its bright symbolism. All the peoples of the world recognized the deer as an exclusively positive poetic symbol. purity, light, creation, abundance and spirituality. In the sensitive habit of the forest beauty, people saw prudent caution, and in the ability to change old horns for new ones - emblem of renewal and revival.

In the mythology of the peoples of Europe and the Middle East, the deer often acts as a faithful companion of the gods of the moon and hunting. The Syrian god-patron of the hunt Ashima was depicted in the form of a proud deer, and his Celtic counterpart Kernunnos - in the form of a man with deer horns. The Saami patron goddess of deer was the beautiful Raziayke, and the totem animal was the wonderful werewolf deer Myandash, the legendary founder of the Saami.

The swift-footed deer is an attribute of the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting Artemis and the Roman Diana. The Kerinean golden-horned doe of Artemis was only able to catch up with the god-like Hercules (the 4th feat of Hercules), and even then only after he wounded her with an arrow in the leg. The angry Apthemis turned the hunter Actaeon into a deer, who dared to spy on the bathing beautiful goddess. Subsequently, this mythological plot was actively used in their work by Renaissance artists and even medieval alchemists.

The deer is a very remarkable symbolic animal of the cultures ancient world. Often, together with a bull, he forms a kind of mythical-cosmic dualistic system, like a wild horse and a cow, presented in cave paintings. ice age, as the hypothesis of the French historians of primitive society claims. Because of its branchy, tree-like, periodically renewing antlers, the deer symbolized the rejuvenation of life, newbornness and the passage of time. The branched antlers of a deer can also symbolize the rays of the Sun. Often associated with the Tree of Life. The male deer in a fight with a chthonic snake symbolizes, like an eagle fighting a snake, the conflict of opposites, positive and negative, light and darkness, etc. The male deer is often the messenger of the gods or heavenly forces.

Universal auspicious symbol. Adult male deer solar abundance emblem, its branched horns symbolize the Tree of Life among the American Indians and some other peoples, Sun rays, longevity and rebirth (periodically there is a change of horns). The most characteristic signs of a deer are swiftness, grace and beauty. For this reason, perhaps the deer is associated with poetry and music. Deer also appear as wonderful messengers and guides, showing the heroes the way to their goal. Deer were also credited with healing powers, especially the ability to seek out medicinal herbs.

• about. elenitsa church and old. deer and deer, male and female deer. Deer or stag true, Cervus Elaphus sib. deer, sym, son; deer in general doe. Deer is fast, sister is not a horse. Elenets m. large beetle with deer antlers, or rather capacitance: Lucanus cervus
• mammal, artiodactyl animal the size of a one-year-old calf; males have large branched horns; in Russian - deer

EDOMA

• and. arch. (samoyed poison, on foot) or yedoma, wilderness; deerless; sit on the edome, in one place, without wandering, if there are no deer. From the case of deer, the Samoyeds settled on the edome. Edom Samoyeds live in fish. See also edoma. animal pasture

KENGA

• or kenga, pl. kengi, galoshes, head with soles over boots; warm shoes, felted, fur or leather, with warm lining, but without tops. Perm. deer spine boots. Kenchura? and. pl. sib. deer suede kengi, cats, under shoe covers and cups

PANTS

• Mongolian young, spring antlers of deer, deer, real deer, until the shirt falls off them, bast, bought in China for a medicinal drug. killed antlers, vos.-sib. deer with antlers
• "Crown" deer or elk
• young deer antlers
• young, not ossified antlers of deer, red deer or sika deer
• unossified deer antlers
• deer horns
• deer antlers covered with leather
• antlers of an elk or young deer
• antlers of young deer and sika deer
• antler
• deer horns

With a deer, as with an attractive outwardly animal, we get acquainted with childhood. Every child watched fairy tales with the participation of this kind magnificent character.

Description

However, science without sentimentality informs us that the deer belongs to artiodactyls, whose classification includes more than 50 species. She also says that many species of deer have long since died out, and some are on the verge of extinction.

In addition, not everyone knows that such an animal as a deer is not always large, since the smallest one is not higher than a rabbit, and the largest one is the size of a horse.

As for deer antlers, this is one of the hallmarks of the male, only a few categories - northern, as well as water - stand out in this respect from the family.

In the deer of the northern horn, not only males, but also females have antlers, and the aquatic species has no antlers at all. Appearance antlers directly depends on the variety to which the deer belong. They are updated annually.

This animal feeds mainly on various plants, however great importance in this matter has its habitat.

Kinds

There are various types of deer, which we will talk about in more detail.

Water

This species of deer lives in Korea, as well as China, in France, England, and is also kept in zoos.

The animal is small in stature, has no horns, has fangs, and also a small tail. Color brown.

Lives in thickets of swamps. It feeds on plants. Differs in caution.

Barasinga

Lives in Iran, Pakistan, Nepal. The number of deer horns reaches 14 pieces, and sometimes 20. The growth of the animal is average. Wool brown monophonic, sometimes with spots.

The deer lives in places of marshes, meadows, forests. The animal feeds on grass, has a sharp sense of smell, with the help of which the animal avoids all sorts of danger.

Once this species was often found among the animals of India, but due to swamp reclamation, their population has significantly decreased.

In addition, deer began to be hunted for its excellent tasting meat and the use of antlers to create flour used in medicine for diseases of the chest.

For this period of time, the number of this species is inexorably increasing.

Lyra

A relative of the barasinga deer is the lira, which lives in the Indochinese regions. This variety was first discovered in the 19th century in the eastern Indian part.

The name is derived from the horns that look like a lyre. Now there is a certain classification of special subspecies of the lyre deer, which differ in habitat, which is directly reflected in the names.

Thus, the Manipur deer lives exclusively in the state of Manipur next to a lake called Loktak.

The Tkhamin deer lives in India, Thailand, in the southern part of China.

Deer are solitary, violating this principle only for marriage, live in marshy places. The lira, like the barasinga, feeds on vegetation.

Indian sambar

It belongs to one of the large varieties that lives in Hindustan. Body weight more than 300 kg, average height reaches 120 cm.

A deer is known for the length of its horns reaching 130 cm. The coat has a light brown or gray color. In addition to the states of the peninsula, the sambar lives in Afghanistan, the southern part of China.

The deer is acclimatized, the photo of which can be seen on the site, also in Turkey, America, Australia. The deer lives near water, eats fruits and various plants.

It is awake at night, and during the daytime it hides in the forest, where, despite its size, it moves as silently as possible.

deer axis

Axis forest deer live in the foothills of the forests. It has a body weight of up to 100 kg, small size. The coat is reddish in color with small snow-white spots.

Of the Indian species of deer, the axis is the most common, found everywhere, in addition to dry areas in which there is no vegetation. As an acclimatized variety, it is found in the Armenian forest area.

It feeds on vegetation, including grass, lives in small herds. Lives in captivity for 15 years, in freedom the life span is much less due to the presence of enemies: a tiger, a leopard, a crocodile, and also a hyena.

deer pig

Considered a resident of Asia. Has a small size. In appearance, the animal is similar to the axis, but is devoid of spots and has not so long legs. Males are darker in color than females. The tail is fluffy.

Lives alone. On rare occasions, they gather in small herds. Habitat - plain.

It feeds on vegetation. The deer lives in America, in Ceylon, and also in Australia.

We have talked only about some types of deer species that are widespread in the present period of time.

Each of the listed deer species is unique and unrepeatable in its own way, therefore, it deserves to be constantly discussed.

Deer photo

Deer are an unusually huge family of amazing artiodactyls. The difference between the possible sizes of deer is striking. The size of these beautiful slender animals can vary from 90 cm in length and up to two and a half meters, and weight from 7 to 800 kg.

Before you start sewing a product from the skin of a reindeer, you need to decide on its choice. Indeed, the price and quality depend on the age of the deer from which the skin was removed. Reindeer skin is divided into several types with different names.

A premature reindeer calf (miscarried or removed from a clogged womb) has weak, short fur called a regrow. Most often, such fur is used for lining for hats or mittens.

The fur of a reindeer calf that has not reached the age of one month is called fawn - in the European tundra, and in the tundra Western Siberia such fur is called a pawn. Usually a pawn is obtained as a result of an accidental death of barely born calves from frosts and snowstorms, which often occur in the spring. Most often, mittens, hats, and other small fur products are sewn from pawns.

Reindeer fur that has reached three months of age is highly valued. The skin is removed at the end of July or at the beginning of August and is called - do not vomit. The value of such a skin is determined by the not yet overgrown hairline. Neblyuy is used most often for the manufacture of outerwear.

Long coarse fur has a calf 4-5 months of age. Such fur is called an outgrowth, and it is not valued for the length of the woolen cover. From the outgrowth, first-class suede is made, which is widely used in the textile and shoe industries.

Calf bed - the skin of a 6-month-old calf is of high value and is used to make women's outerwear.

The skin taken from a mature deer in winter is called a bed. She has a long coat, but the commodity price of the bed is quite low. This is caused by frequent hair loss, as well as defects caused by gadfly larvae.

It is interesting that the entire huge family of deer is united by one feature of their fur. The structure of deer fur has an airy core - that is, each hair is hollow inside. Thanks to this feature, deer fur has excellent heat-saving properties.

The skin of deer of any age is of high value and importance mainly for the production of clothing and the shoe industry. But in the pursuit of profit, it is worth remembering that reindeer is in the red book and protected Russian Federation and his murder is punishable by law.