The Persian fallow deer, Dama mesopotamica, is a deer that once lived across most of West Asia and is now found in the wild only in Iran and Israel. It has been classed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2008. A focused captive breeding program let the population rebound from a handful of animals in the 1960s to over a thousand in the 2010s; the species was reintroduced to Israel in 1978 and has a stable wild population there, and it still occurs naturally in Iran. It is larger than the European fallow deer, with an average body mass of about 70 to 140 kilograms and a shoulder height of 80 to 110 centimetres, and its antlers are somewhat less broad. It prefers woodlands of tamarisk, oak and pistachio and avoids roads. Victor Brooke described it in 1875 from a deer shot at the Karun river in Iran.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Connections
Child Taxon Of
Cervidae, Taxa Source GBIF: Dama dama mesopotamica
Additional Source Persian fallow deer (Wikipedia)Lead, family placement
In Ecosystem
Source Persian fallow deer (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Persian fallow deer (Wikipedia)Lead, range (iran)Quote, Lead, range (iran)
currently only found in the wild in Iran and Israel
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Persian fallow deer (Wikipedia)Lead, range (israel)Quote, Lead, range (israel)
currently only found in the wild in Iran and Israel
Sources
1. Persian fallow deer (Wikipedia)
Lead, range (iran)
currently only found in the wild in Iran and Israel
Lead, range (israel)
currently only found in the wild in Iran and Israel
Lead
is a species of deer that once inhabited most of West Asia
Distribution and habitat
It is thought that the main reason for the decline of Persian fallow deer has been human hunting
Distribution and habitat, threats
habitat destruction for agriculture may also have contributed to their lowered numbers
Conservation
Numbers are increasing rapidly in all populations.
Lifespan
The maximum lifespan is around 20 years.
Habitat
The Persian fallow deer prefers woodlands of tamarisk, oak and pistachio.
Behaviour and ecology
The Persian fallow deer is a grazing herbivore
Description, body mass (70-140 kg, band set by mass: large from 32 kg to under 1000 kg)
Persian fallow deer have an average body mass of around 70-140 kilograms (150-310 lb)
Decline section
It is thought that the main reason for the decline of Persian fallow deer has been human hunting
Child Taxon Of: Cervidae, Lead, family placement
is a species of deer that once inhabited most of West Asia
In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Lead, group placement
is a species of deer that once inhabited most of West Asia
View the Source2. GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): GBIF IUCN Red List category for Dama mesopotamica
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)IUCN Red List categoryQuote, IUCN Red List category
"category": "ENDANGERED"
GBIF: Dama dama mesopotamica
GBIFChild Taxon Of: Cervidae, Species record, familyQuote, Child Taxon Of: Cervidae, Species record, family
family: Cervidae
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