Native to both Korea and China, water deer have fascinated humans for centuries. Water deer are furry, four-legged animals that look a lot like regular deer from a distance. But if you look closer they will look different. They don’t have antlers. Neither males or females have them. Their Latin name translates to “without armour”. Their bodies are thicker and stockier than normal deer. Water deer can look quite thick when compared to their cousins. This has more to do with their body structure than their body weight. They have powerful hind legs that are longer than their front legs, so their haunches are raised at a higher angle than their shoulders. Water deer have front teeth that stick out from their jaw. These are commonly referred to as “fangs” or “tusks,” but they’re actually just extra-long canines. People don’t know why they have extra long canines

 There are two sub-species of water deer. The first lives in China. The second lives in Korea. There’s very little difference between the breeds. The Korean water deer might be a little more reddish-brown than true brown, and some evidence suggests that they might be a bit smaller. While they are not aggressive to humans, water deer can get quite violent towards other members of their species. Males are highly territorial, and have a number of ways of marking their territory. They’ll also dig trenches and rub their heads all over trees, branches, and logs to spread their scent around. Some will even bite off reeds and branches to visually mark their turf. Males will also fight over females when it’s rutting season. While they’re native to Asia, water deer have also come to France, Argentina, England and parts of the United States. They were first imported to Great Britain in the 1870s. Water deer are herbivores, they don’t need their canines for ripping through prey. They prefer to run away from predators rather than facing them head-on, so the canines aren’t a defensive weapon. They’re really only used for battles between males. For males, tusks can reach as long as 7 – 8 centimetres but they’re usually 5 – 6 centimetres. Females have much smaller tusks. They measure 0.5 – 1 centimetres.