Fast Facts for Kids
Deer Facts for Kids

Deer Facts for Kids

  • Common Name: Deer
  • Class: Mammalia
  • Order: Artiodactyla
  • Family: Cervidae
  • Diet: Herbivorous (Plants)
  • Habitat Range: Asia, Europe, North and South America
  • First Appeared: ~19 million years ago

20 Deer Facts For Kids

  1. Deer is a common name for a large group of hoofed ruminant mammals who are members of the Cervidae family.
  2. Deer are believed to have evolved into their modern day selves over 30 million years.
  3. Deer are widely known and popular for being majestic, having antlers, with most references to the Disney character Bambi.
  4. Deer species can be found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
  5. Deer live in a wide variety of habitats, varying by species, ranging from tundra to tropical rainforests.
  6. All deer are omnivores and feed on various foliage depending on their species, location and time of year.
  7. There are 43 different species of deer in the Cervidae family.
  8. The size of a deer varies greatly by species, they can weigh as little as 14 pounds or as much as 1,543 pounds.
  9. Deer are great runners and on average most species can run up to 35 miles per hour.
  10. Deer are great jumpers and can jump up to 10 feet high and as far as 30 feet.
  11. The largest deer species is the moose (Alces alces) with a weight between 838 and 1,543 pounds.
  12. The smallest deer species is the southern pudu (Pudu puda) with a weight between 14 and 30 pounds.
  13. The fastest deer species is the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) with a top running speed of up to 40 miles per hour.
  14. All male deer species grow antlers and shed them annually, except for the male water deer (Hydropotes inermis), which doesn’t grow antlers. The only female deer species to grow antlers is the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).
  15. The antlers grown by male deer are used to attract female deer and to fight other males.
  16. All adult deer species have 32 teeth, with only reindeer and elk (Cervus canadensis) having 34 more.
  17. A male deer is called a buck, a female deer is called a doe, and a juvenile deer is called a fawn or a calf.
  18. Deer are common prey for most predatory animals, causing them to be timid and shy.
  19. Deer are able to avoid predators using their excellent running, jump and swimming skills.
  20. Deer hunting is popular worldwide and dear are hunted for both meat and sport.

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Deer Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on deer. Below are six pictures of various deer species. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of deer found around the world.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

A picture of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

Red deer (Cervus elaphus)

A picture of the red deer (Cervus elaphus).

Elk (Cervus canadensis)

A picture of an elk (Cervus canadensis).


Common fallow deer (Dama dama)

A picture of the common fallow deer (Dama dama).

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)

A picture of the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

Moose (Alces alces)

A picture of a moose (Alces alces).

Deer Resources

We hope you found the above deer facts, information, data, and pictures both fun and educational. You can continue to research deer using one of the below additional resources. They were chosen for their credibility and accuracy; you can trust their information when it comes to deer. Thank you for choosing Fast Facts for Kids.