(Homonym: dear).
Large ruminant of the Cervidae family, distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers; deer live in herds, mostly in northern climates SYN. cervid.
Any of various ruminant, even-toed, hoofed mammals belonging to the family Cervidae. The male typically has a pair of antlers, shed and regrown each year. Most species of deer are forest-dwellers and are distributed throughout Eurasia and North America, but are absent from Australia and Africa S of the Sahara.
Native to North America are white-tailed deer Odocoileus viginianus, mule deer O. hemionus, wapiti or elk Cervus canadensis, moose Alces alces, and caribou or reindeer Rangifer tarandus. The last two also occur in Eurasia. Red deer Cervus elaphus, roe deer Capreolus capreolus, and fallow deer Dama dama are typical Eurasian species.