Irish red deer

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Irish red deer
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Cervinae
Genus: Cervus
Species:
Subspecies:
C. e. hibernicus
Trinomial name
Cervus elaphus hibernicus
Stejneger

The Irish red deer (Cervus elaphus hibernicus) is a subspecies of the red deer (Cervus elaphus) that is native to Ireland.

Details

Opinions are still mixed if it is its own subspecies or not, for DNA analysis shows traits of another subspecies of red deer native to Ireland, being the Scottish red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus). The Irish red deer may have broken off from the Scottish red deer around 5,000 years ago, but this has not been proven. Only a few individuals have been found with the same traits of the subspecies.[1]

References

  1. ^ "Tracing Ireland's red deer". Shooting Times. July 27, 2016. p. 1. Retrieved May 13, 2023.