Riani Morales, age 10, of Champaign, I11., for his question:
HOW MANY KINDS OF DEER ARE THERE?
There are more than 60 kinds of deer. You'll find them living in orth America, Central and South America and also in Europe and Asia. Deer are the only animals with bones called antlers on their heads. Among most species of deer, only the males have antlers.
Among the best known deer in North America is the white tailed deer, the mule deer, the caribou, elk and moose.
Most common large game animal in North America is the white tailed deer, which is also called the Virginia deer. It may stand three and a half feet tall and weigh up to 200 pounds.
This deer's tail grows to be about a foot long. The tail has brown hair on top and white hair underneath. When the deer is frightened and begins to run, the tail stands straight up, showing the white part.
The white tailed deer's coat is reddish brown in the summer and a gray or bluish gray in the winter.
The mule deer is much like the white tailed deer, except that it has large, furry ears which look somewhat like those of a mule.
Caribou are the reindeer of North America. Unlike all other deer except reindeer, both males and females have antlers. Caribou grow to be about four feet tall.
Elk grow to be about five feet tall. And their antlers may spread out to more than five feet at the widest part. Elk are the second largest deer in the world.
Largest of all deer is the moose. Some males stand seven and a half feet tall and may weigh up to 1,800 pounds. In spite of its size, a moose can move quickly and quietly through the forest.
By the mid 1970s, more than 20 kinds of deer were endangered or threatened with extinction. These species include the marsh deer, the Columbian white tailed deer and five kinds of Asian deer.
Living in the Arctic and in the northern regions of Europe and Asia is the reindeer. It looks very much like the North American caribou. Reindeer are among the most important animals in the far north. People eat reindeer meat, make clothing and tents from the hide and carve utensils from the antlers and bones.
An interesting kind of deer is called the Pere David's deer that was named for a French priest who first saw the animals on the plains of northern China in 1865. Today only about 400 of these deer are still alive although they can be found in many zoos throughout the world.
All the Pere David's deer are related to the deer that were brought to England about 1900 from a herd kept by the Chinese emperor in Peking. The original herd in China died out in 1921 but the small English herd did well.
Pere David's deer stand about three and a half feet high. They have a grayish tan coat in winter and a reddish tan coat in summer.