How long do deer live?
Deers are a part of the mammals animal family. They are known for having gracious bodies, having very fast reflects and overall being really beautiful animals to look at.
These big and friendly animals get to live a very long live, and today, we’re going to talk about it, getting to compare how long do they live in the wild and in captivity. Let’s begin.
Deer lifespan
Deers are very interesting animals, not only are people attracted to them because they are pretty much harmless to humans, but because they’re naturally beautiful.
However, we’re not here to talk about how cute deers are, but to take a look at their lifespan. You see, contrary to what most people might believe, deers actually live a very long life.
In average, they live around 15 years (don’t worry, we will take a look at each specie and their lifespan later on), being one of the mammals with longer lifespan on earth.
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How long do deer live in the wild?
Like we have been saying before, deer have a very long expectancy, getting to live anywhere from 10 to 15 years in the wild. This life expectancy can be extremely reduced due to natural predators.
You see, deers can easily live past 15 years in the wild in some cases, however, it’s very likely they will die due to natural predators before even reaching the 10 years mark.
Deers’ natural predators are: wolves, bears, coyotes and even mountain lions, not to mention they are being hunt in the wild by humans, something that also helps reducing their natural lifespan.
That being said, it’s important to mention that deers living in the wild can easily get sick, which can lead to a premature death, but even considering these scenarios, they still live a pretty long life.
How long do deer live in captivity?
As it happens with most animals, deers actually do live longer in captivity than in the wild, being able to easily live up to 20 years in captivity, meanwhile they usually die around 10 years old in the wild.
This is very common thing for most animals in captivity, since not only they are getting properly taken care of, but they are being fed every day following their natural diet, which results in them living a longer, healthier life and easily surpassing the fifteen year mark.
Life expectancy of deers according to the species
Red deer
- In the wild: 10-15 years.
- In captivity: 20 years.
Mooke
- 15-25 years.
Reindeer/Caribou
- In the wild: 15 years.
- In captivity: 20 years.
Elk/Wapiti
- In the wild: 10-13 years.
- In captivity: 20 years.
European roe deer
- 15 years.
Fallow deer
- 12-16 years.
Chital/Cheetal
- In the wild: 5-10 years.
- In captivity: 22 years.
Mule deer
- In the wild: 9-11 years.
Sika deer
- In captivity: 15-18 years.
Tufted deer
- 15 years.
Marsh deer
- In captivity: 13 years.
Père David's deer/Milu
- 18 years.
South Andean deer
- 14 years.
Red brocket
- In the wild: 7-12 years.
- In captivity: 16 years.
Gray brocket
- 12 years.
Muntjacs
- In the wild: 10-12 years.
- In captivity: 18 years.
Sambar
- 16-20 years.
Eld's deer/Thamin
- In captivity: 18 years.
Taruca/North Andean deer
- In captivity: 10 years.
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