Southern Pudu
No, that’s not a fawn…believe it or not, that is a full-grown deer! The Southern Pudu, a native of South America, is the smallest member of the deer family. Standing just 14 inches high at the shoulder and weighing only 22 pounds, this diminutive deer is found in the southern Andes mountains in Argentina and Chile. The males do grow antlers, but they’re never more than small spikes. Due to its tiny size, the Southern Pudu is a shy creature that prefers to live in densely wooded areas that provide cover from its many predators. They sometimes even form small tunnels in the brush through which to travel.

Muntjac
You expect deer to have antlers, but…tusks? The Muntjac deer, which hails from southeast Asia, has small, backsloping antlers but does not rely on them to fight. Instead, male Muntjacs use their long canine teeth, which extend outside the mouth like a boar’s tusks, to defend territory and mates. The Muntjac is also known as the “barking deer,” due to its distinctive call, and is the oldest living form of deer. Evidence of Muntjac deer has been found in deposits dating back to the Miocene era. Like the Southern Pudu, the Muntjac is a small deer: most are only 16-22 inches high at the shoulder and weigh 22 to 44 pounds. Because this species lives in tropical areas of the world, they don’t follow a rut schedule the way North American deer do.

Roe Deer
Europe boasts a small deer species of its own: the roe deer. Although it stands only about 25 inches at the shoulder, this deer is solid and muscular. Average weight is 40 to 64 pounds, surprisingly high for such a small animal. Found in temperate parts of Europe all the way east to Siberia, the roe is like the whitetail in that it’s a very adaptable creature. It thrives in “edge” habitats where farms abut woodlands. The roe has a distinctive look: It has a large white rump patch, a black “moustache” on its lip and the males sport dainty antlers that max out at about 12 inches long. Unlike other species of deer, the roe’s rut happens in summertime, between June and July.

Red Deer
Up until very recently, it was believed that the European red deer and American Wapiti were the same species. DNA testing has caused biologists to separate them into two species, but they are still so closely related that they can mate and produce fertile hybrids. Biological hairsplitting aside, the red deer has captured the imagination of Europeans for literally thousands of years. Siberian cave art dating to 40,000 years ago features these creatures. In literature, red deer are called “harts.” Female red deer are called “hinds,” and male red deer are called “stags.” (This is different from the American meaning of “stag,” which is a neutered male deer.) Those who have hunted these animals report that their call is also different from that of the North American elk—rather than the eerie “bugle” of the Wapiti, the red deer emits a brawny “roar.”