The sika deer (Cervus nippon), also known as the northern spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world.

The Sika deer (Cervus nippon) is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Its name comes from the Japanese word shika which means "deer". In Japan, the species is known as the nihonjika (Japan deer) and in Chinese, it is known as méihuālù (‘plum blossom deer').

These medium-sized deer are known for their distinctive spotted coat that persists into adulthood, unlike many other deer species. Sika deer also exhibit remarkable variation in size between subspecies and noticeable sexual dimorphism, with males being larger than females.

Sika deer (Cervus nippon) are a forest deer found in East Asia from Siberia south through China to Vietnam and Taiwan. These deer are divided into 14 regional subspecies, of which seven are found in Japan.

Learn all about the Sika Deer (also known as the Spotted Deer or Japanese Deer). This page shares facts & information about Cervus Nippon.

sika, (Cervus nippon), small, forest-dwelling deer of the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), which is native to China, Korea, and Japan, where it was long considered sacred. (Sika means “deer” in Japanese.) It is farmed in China for its antlers, which are used in traditional medicine.

2020年9月24日 · Sika Deer Specifics. Originating from the far east, particularly Japan, the Sika deer is also known as the spotted deer, the Japanese deer, or the Japanese Sika deer.

2024年5月7日 · While the 1,200 deer that live in the park are technically wild, their special relationship with humans goes back over a thousand years. The sika deer, Cervus nippon, are considered sacred in Shintoism. Their spiritual status dates back nearly 1,400 years, to when Kasuga Taisha Shrine was built in what would later become Nara Park.

The Sika Deer is a medium-sized Asian herbivore, but found across the world – either native or introduced – and in several subspecies, with the largest being the Manchurian sika deer. Though the sikas are termed as ‘deer’, they are actually a member of the ‘elk’ family.

2024年5月27日 · The largest sika population is in Japan, numbering over 3 million and increasing, due to conservation efforts and the extinction of its main predator, the Japanese wolf, 100 years ago. Sika are now overpopulated there.