Deer are hoofed mammals belonging to the family Cervidae, characterized by the presence of deciduous antlers in most males (and in both sexes of Rangifer), a specialized ruminant digestive system with a multi-chambered stomach, and typically slender limbs adapted for cursorial locomotion. Cervids exhibit a global distribution across much of the Northern Hemisphere and parts of the Southern Hemisphere, occupying diverse habitats from forests to tundra. They are primarily herbivorous, feeding on grasses, forbs, leaves, and twigs, and play key ecological roles as large herbivores influencing vegetation structure, nutrient cycling, and predator-prey dynamics.
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