Kerama deer

Kerama deer
Kerama deer stands looking into camera with plants hanging out of its mouth
Kerama deer stands looking into camera with plants hanging out of its mouth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus: Cervus
Species:
C. nippon
Subspecies:
C. n. keramae
Trinomial name
Cervus nippon keramae
(Kuroda, 1924)

The Kerama deer (also Kerama Sika) is an endangered subspecies of the Sika deer native to the Kerama Islands.[1]

History

Kerama deer were imported from the Kagoshima Prefecture in the early 17th century. They were heavily hunted because they destroyed crops,[2] causing the population to rapidly decline, and are now a government-protected species. The total known population was 130 as of 1995.[3] They have been designated a Natural Monument of Japan.[4]

Description

Kerama deer have dark brown hair. Only the bucks have antlers, which are shed from March to April. They are small, weighing only about 75 kilograms.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Subspecies of sika deer. Table 1". researchgate.net. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Kerama Deer (Natural monument)". keramaislands.asia. June 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Nature in Akajima". amsl.or.jp. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Highlights of Keramashoto National Park". env.go.jp. Retrieved 4 May 2019.