11 Cool Facts About Deer for Kids

Deer are extremely interesting animals that are often seen near forests and grassy areas. However, many people don’t know that much about deer, even if they have seen them multiple times. Listed below are 11 cool facts about deer that may interest you and your child.

1. Deer Antlers Grow Crazy Fast

Did you know that deer antlers grow about 1/2 an inch every day? Yes, you read that right! A deer’s antlers are filled with blood vessels that carry blood, oxygen, and essential nutrients to the area, which then causes the antlers to grow super quickly!

Deer antlers can break at times, but there is no need to worry, as their antlers will grow back in no time! This fact is great for kids because it will help teach them about deer and is still light-hearted.

2. Deer Have a Secret Way of Communicating

Have you ever wanted to have a secret language that only you and your friends know about? Well, deer have a special way of communicating with each other. Deer rely on their scent to communicate with other deer, as they can’t talk to each other like humans do.

Their bodies make this special scent that deer will put on things in the area they live in. They will leave their smell on trees, the ground, and other places to give important information to other deer.

One of the things they will communicate with their scent is that danger is close by so other deer will know to flee when they approach the area. So, if you see a deer rubbing its head against a tree, it is putting its scent on the said tree or simply scratching its head because it has an itch.

This fact is super great for kids because it will excite their adventurous side and keep them interested. A lot of facts about deer aren’t ones that kids should hear or will want to hear. This fact is one that kids will love!

3. Deer Have Eyes on The Side of Their Head

Deer have something very unique about them, and it’s that deer have eyes on the side of their head. Wow, am I right? This makes the deer see at a wider, 310-degree angle. This makes it very, very difficult for them to focus on a central focus point. Oh, deer!

But don’t worry; they have great eyesight that helps them see better at night. So, if you notice a deer at night, know that they can see you extremely well, even if you can’t.

This is a fantastic fact about deer for children because they will find it funny and interesting. This will also help to teach them about the anatomy of a deer. Facts need to be able to be palatable for children to hear but still help them learn something. This is why this fact is great for you to tell your children.

4. Deer Have Super Smell

Did you know deer have an extremely strong sense of smell? They lick their noses constantly, which causes the odor to stick and their senses to be amazing. This amazing sense of smell helps them smell predators and keep themselves and their deer friends safe!

This fact is a great one for children to learn about because it helps to teach them about deer and is a fact that will keep them interested and want to learn more. Tell this fact to your children if they love deer and want to know everything they can!

5. Deer Have Super Hearing

Not only do deer have an extremely strong sense of smell, but they also have an extremely strong sense of hearing. Their ears are made in a certain way that lets them rotate their ears in different directions without moving their head.

This allows them to hear things around them, especially predators! Another cool thing about their ears is that they can hear super high-pitched sounds. The sounds that they can hear are so high-pitched that humans can’t even hear them.

This super cool fact is a good one to tell your children because it is one they will love to hear about. What child doesn’t want to hear that deer have a super sense of hearing? This will make them excited to learn everything they can about the seemingly magical animal.

6. Male, Female, and Children Deer Have Special Names

There are different names for different deer, which is so cool! Male deer are called bucks, and especially large male deer are called stags. Female deer are called doe, and cute, little, baby deer are called fawns. I think it is super special that deer have their own names. It gives them a sense of individuality and personality. Deer have special names for each type, just like humans!

This fact would be a great one for your children because it would help them relate to deer. It would also be a great fact for kids because it would be an easy one for young kids to understand. Tell this fact about deer to your children today!

7. Deer Have a Special Diet

Did you know deer have a super special diet? Yep, that’s right! They are herbivores, which means they only eat plants and grass. They love the nature around them so much that they eat it! They are also big snackers; they love to eat berries out of your garden. This special diet makes deer super fun and unique!

This fact is an amazing one for kids because it teaches them about herbivores and will help them become interested in science and animals. It will also help them learn about what attracts deer.

8. Deer are Super Shy

Have you ever seen a deer in your backyard and they ran away right when they saw or heard you? That’s because deer are super shy and avoid humans as much as possible. They can hear you from a mile away and can sense your presence.

They run because they are afraid of predators and think you are one. If you are super quiet, the deer may not run so you can enjoy the beautiful creature. Because deer are super shy, they are also super gentle. They won’t hurt you at all!

This fact is wonderful for you to tell children because it will teach them about deer and will help them not be afraid of them either. Tell this fact to any kid and they will definitely love it.

9. Deer Know How to Protect Themselves

Although deer are super shy, they know how to protect themselves from predators. Deer can swim super well, run crazy fast, and jump amazingly high. This allows the deer to get away from their predators quickly.

This fact is great for children because it will teach them more about how deer live and what they are capable of doing.

10. There are Tons of Deer Species

There are more than one species of deer! They are all in one big, happy family. Read below to find out about the different species.

White-Tail Deer

White-tailed deer are a beautiful type of deer that live all throughout the world, even in Peru and Bolivia. This deer is one of the most common kinds of deer. If you see one in your backyard, you will notice how beautiful and gentle they are.

Red Deer

Red deer are some of the most beautiful deer out there. They are one of the largest deer species and are found in places like Europe. This deer also has different names for male and female red deer. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, while a female red deer is called a hind. These deer typically live for 16-18 years! These deer are a whopping 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall.

Moose

Yes, you read it right, a moose is a type of deer. A moose is the largest and heaviest type of deer in the deer family. They are massive animals, as they can grow up to 6.9 feet tall and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds! These animals seem a bit scary, but if you stay away from them, they won’t hurt you.

This is a great thing to tell kids because most might not know that moose are considered deer. It will help them learn about animals and will get them interested in science and nature!

Elk

Elk are surprisingly also part of the deer species. They have a different name, too! They are also called wapiti. They are super-large mammals and live in places like East Asia. They can even weigh up to 730 pounds!

Telling your kids about Elk is a great thing because they can learn more about different species of deer and be knowledgeable about them!

Reindeer

Yep! Rudolf and his family are a type of deer! They are bigger deer and are found in colder areas like North America. They are also super beautiful creatures and love the snow!

This fact is s perfect one for kids, because they will most likely know what reindeer are because of Rudolf, and it will help them learn more about the animals.

Why Tell Kids About Different Deer Species?

Now, you may wonder why it is important to tell children about different deer species. Well, the more they know about the world and the animals that live in it, the better. If kids know about different types of deer, they will be able to keep expanding their knowledge about animals and the world.

Telling them about the different deer is an easy fact that even young kids may be able to understand. You can just tell them exactly what I wrote; my wording is pretty palatable for kids and most will understand the words I used.

11. Some Deer are Extinct

Schomburgk Deer

Extinct means that this type of animal no longer lives on earth. This beautiful deer went extinct years ago, long before you were even born. This deer lived in Thailand and was a beautiful, big creature. It loved to eat nature like grass, swamp vegetation, and other plants that were found in their natural habitat. This deer may not be on the earth anymore, but we still know a lot about it and can learn about it!

Irish Elk

The Irish elk is another deer species that no longer lives on the earth and is extinct. They became extinct because their antlers were so big that they couldn’t even hold their heads up anymore.

They would even get their antlers stuck and intertwined with the trees. This amazing creature went extinct around 8,000 years ago! This deer also has a nickname. Some people call it the giant deer or Irish deer.

How to Help Deer

If you are wondering what you can do to help with extinct deer, we can help you with that. Sadly, there isn’t much you can do to help deer that are already extinct. But, there are tons of things you can do to try to stop other deer and other animals from going extinct. Here are some of those things.

1. You can Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce (the 3-R Rule). This will help keep our world clean and make our environment a better place for animals to live in.
2. You can eat less meat, especially meat from animals who are extinct or endangered. Endangered means that the animal might soon become extinct.
3. You can also buy products and souvenirs that are not made from endangered animals. This will help make it so people are not tempted to kill endangered animals so they can make things from their bodies.
4. Lastly, one of the best things you can do for endangered and extinct animals is spread awareness, get involved, and be aware of the problems that harm them. This will help make the world a better place and will create a safe, clean place for deer (and other animals) to live.

Doing these things are very important for the deer species! Deer are beautiful animals and we need to protect them the best we can.