AnAge entry for Capreolus capreolus

Classification (HAGRID: 02018)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Artiodactyla
                Family: Cervidae (Taxon entry)
                    Genus: Capreolus
Species: Capreolus capreolus
Common name: Western roe deer

Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Maximum longevity

17.5 years (captivity)

Source

ref. 671

Sample size

Medium

Data quality

Acceptable

Observations

Young females have an over 90% survival in the wild, though an increased mortality with age has been reported for both males and females after about 8 years of age [0800]. These animals may live up to 15 years in the wild [0542]. One wild born female was about 17.5 years when she died in captivity [0671]. Haematological parameters have been shown to exhibit senescence in the wild, which differ between sex and populations [1206]. The implantation can be delayed from 2 to 5.5 months, so the total gestation time can last from 122 to 305 days.

Average lifespans in captivity (5.15 years) tend to be shorter than those observed in the wild (6.85 years) [1389].

Life history traits (averages)

Female sexual maturity: 413 days
Male sexual maturity: 655 days
Gestation: 153 days
Weaning
Litter size: 1.6 (viviparous)
Litters per year: 1
Inter-litter interval: 365 days
Weight at birth: 1,010 g
Weight at weaning
Adult weight: 21,667 g
Postnatal growth rate
Maximum longevity residual: 77%

Metabolism

Typical body temperature: 311ºK or 38.0ºC or 100.4ºF
Basal metabolic rate: 46.3470 W
Body mass: 21500.0 g
Metabolic rate per body mass: 0.002156 W/g

References

[1389] Hoffman and Valencak (2020), A short life on the farm: aging and longevity in agricultural, large-bodied mammals (PubMed)
[1206] Jego et al. (2014), Haematological parameters do senesce in the wild: evidence from different populations of a long-lived mammal (PubMed)
[1150] Jones et al. (2014), Diversity of ageing across the tree of life (PubMed)
[1135] Lemaitre et al. (2013), Comparing free-ranging and captive populations reveals intra-specific variation in aging rates in large herbivores (PubMed)
[1143] Nussey et al. (2013), Senescence in natural populations of animals: widespread evidence and its implications for bio-gerontology (PubMed)
[0882] Nilsen et al. (2009), A slow life in hell or a fast life in heaven: demographic analyses of contrasting roe deer populations (PubMed)
[0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
[0036] Savage et al. (2004), The predominance of quarter-power scaling in biology
[0420] White and Seymour (2003), Mammalian basal metabolic rate is proportional to body mass2/3 (PubMed)
[0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
[0086] Ditchkoff et al. (2001), Concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I in adult male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus): associations with serum testosterone, morphometrics and age during and after the breeding season (PubMed)
[0800] Loison et al. (1999), Age-specific survival in five populations of ungulates: evidence of senescence
[0676] Purvis and Harvey (1995), Mammal life-history evolution: a comparative test of Charnov's model
[0677] Saether and Gordon (1994), The adaptive significance of reproductive strategies in ungulates (PubMed)
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
[0542] Bernhard Grzimek (1990), Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals
[0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction

External Resources

Integrated Taxonomic Information System: ITIS 625063
Animal Diversity Web: ADW account (if available)
Encyclopaedia of Life: Search EOL
NCBI Taxonomy: Taxonomy ID 9858
Entrez: Search all databases
Ageing Literature: Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
Images: Google Image search
Internet: Search Google