Deer Having A Rest At The Highland Wildlife Park, Highlands, Scotland, UK Stock Photo

Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk wapiti, the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer caribou, white-tailed deer, the roe deer, and the moose. Male deer of all species except the Chinese water deer as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year. In this, they differ from permanently horned antelope, which are part of a different family Bovidae within the same order of even-toed ungulates Artiodactyla. Deer appear in art from Paleolithic cave paintings onwards, and they have played a role in mythology, religion, and literature throughout history, as well as in heraldry, such as red deer that appear in the coat of arms of Ã…land. Their economic importance includes the use of their meat as venison, their skins as soft, strong buckskin, and their antlers as handles for knives. Deer hunting has been a popular activity since at least the Middle Ages and remains a resource for many families today.