Automatically translated from Basque, translation may contain errors. More information here. Elhuyarren itzultzaile automatikoaren logoa

Is it a deer or a deer?

  • Surely a naturalist would have been able to read and think about this question: “Ask too! They have nothing to do with it!” It is true that, once known, the deer and the corzo are easily differentiated. But for some it's not easy to see this animal in the mountain and answer with certainty which one of the two is. And the one on the photo is a deer or a corzo?

30 September 2024 - 06:00
Deer (Cervus elaphus)

GROUP: Vertebrate/Mammal/Artiodactyl.

SIZE: Body 165-250 cm. Tail 12-14 cm. Weight between 100 and 200 kg.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Areas of coexistence of forest and grasslands. Although poaching continues, the distribution of deer is spreading throughout the Basque Country.

What do you eat? Mostly herbivores. At the end of summer and autumn you eat acorns, beech acorns and chestnuts to pick up the reserves for the winter.

PARTICULARITY: Marraoaldia is a natural process that can be seen and heard.

LEVEL OF PROTECTION Not protected.

One of the most obvious differences is the size of the two species. Adult chunks weigh between 15 and 30 kg and deer between 100 and 200 kg. I mean, deer are much bigger than triple corzo. On the other hand, we can see the animal and quickly observe the end: the end of the cords is black and the end of the deer is brown. Finally, we have the characteristic of these two animals: the branches. Like the size of the body, the limbs of the deer are much more visible than those of the cords. This structure, however, only serves us to distinguish the males, because the female corzo and deer do not have horns. Given these characteristics, we can now respond with complete peace of mind that this is a deer animal.

Once differentiated from the chunks, we will observe the branches of the deer, which at this time of the year will perform their function. When the summer is about to end and the fall starts, around September or October, the time of the deer or the marraos begins. At this time the deer enter heat, that is, they are willing to reproduce, so the males start the struggle to reproduce with the females. Through Marro's loud screams, each male shows his superiority. If more than one male wants to procreate with the same females, they challenge each other by a first script, if you look in front. However, if you don't give up, the victors struggle with the branches and gain the chance to reproduce with the females. Every year, male deer lose their branches, and each year they produce new, bigger and more extreme ones.

The cries of the deer are very strong, but today they are difficult to hear in the Basque Country. We have long since eliminated the deer from our territory, particularly by hunting. But in the 1950s, some specimens were brought from Andalusia to continue hunting. A few years ago, deer were only living in protected areas, such as the Gorbea or the Irati jungle. Today, fortunately, the population is increasing and spreading to other areas.


You are interested in the channel: A ze fauna!
2024-09-23 | Nagore Zaldua
Goodbye, J.
What fauna! In the first season of chapter IV, I've presented several waves of seafarers from the outboard of the trainee in this corner. However, I would like to use my first article from the second season to pay tribute to a friend and underline the importance of his work:... [+]

Common antzandobi
Campino head
It's a heady bird, but not because it's stubborn, but because it physically has a big head. That is why this bird is known, many of the names used in Euskera refer to its big eye and head: head, gigantic, begihandi, yawning… Instead, the common name is Antzandobi (Lanius... [+]

Flyer running
Like other insect cases, it is also named “tiger” in some countries. Of course, there was no shortage of the ability to hunt that was expected with such a name! And that's right.

2024-09-02 | Iñaki Sanz-Azkue
Queen of the Fast Water
A creek flows between rocks and rocks. Small jumps of water, rapids and puddles are mixed along the course. The water is cold, but that's how the Pyrenean triton likes it. In fact, this little amphibian, used to swimming against the current, doesn't choose any place to live in. It... [+]

Tigres of the Basque Country
It is a recent issue. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), one of the most threatened feline species in the world, has gone from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Efforts to conserve the species have borne fruit.

So that "this last dance" is not that of the sea bream
Most of the ‘swamps’ we used to fish on the small pier were probably kisses, but we hardly saw any big kisses. If so, it would be found in well-known restaurants, while most fish kisses had been brought from outside. Currently, young specimens of other species, such as... [+]

The eagle that doesn't get wet
Fish swim near the surface of the water. Something approaches the water, flying: an eagle approaches, its claws lengthens forward and! It's been completely immersed in the water. After the catch of the fish, the eagle has pulled its head out of the water, but the fish heads... [+]

Alpina Rosalia
Hayedo relic
The image of this beetle leaves no doubt: it has no equal. It is the only species of this genus in our territory, and also throughout Europe. Her large sizes (to be a beetle, of course) and her colorations are forever inserted into our eyes when it has been the happiness of... [+]

2024-06-24 | Iñaki Sanz-Azkue
Complexity of the simple
When you're young you don't leave much room for doubt. The tie snake has a characteristic that differentiates it from the rest: the tie. Tie, or as some call it, collar. In fact, although it can be brown or dark, greenish or blue, the body usually has a clear white neck at the... [+]

2024-06-17 | Nagore Zaldua
Have lethargy sea turtles been awakened on the Basque coast?
When the summer solstice approaches, the chances of seeing sea turtles have multiplied on the Basque coast. The best known of our waters is the Caretta Real (Caretta caretta). The average shell size of the adult specimens can reach 120 cm straight length and 200 kg weight. The... [+]

Ratoncito Vasco Pérez
Bats form the Chiroptera group. Hand “cheir”, wing “pteron”, in the ancient Greek. So, wings in your hands. Being the only mammal that can fly, conquering the air and achieving great success, nearly 1,500 species of bats are described worldwide.

Born at the bottom of the sea, skilled in fishing
Despite being little appreciated by fishermen, today it is much better known than at sea. Compact meat, especially in the tail.

Potter coming in summer
Seeing this bird with long, sharp wings and v-hanging tail, we know that summer is about to reach Euskal Herria. Black back and tail, with bluish gloss, red breast and whitish lower. Swallow is a bird that has had a great presence in the beliefs of the Basques. But some of you... [+]

Barefoot walker
We have a very close image: floating on the water, as if we were running and jumping on the bed mattress. It is logical to think that the bodies of animals sink into the water when they try to walk through the surface of the water, but the oppressor does not sink… Something is... [+]

2024-05-14 | Iñaki Sanz-Azkue
Common dragoncito and climate change: when the enemy accompanies you...
In some areas of the Basque Country there is already a well-known neighbor, the common dragon. In the south of Navarre, for example, it has been for years (at least since the 1980s) going up and down its walls and surroundings of its houses, especially during the night, in areas... [+]

Eguneraketa berriak daude