Water Deer: Normal deer fight with antlers, but saber-toothed deer fight with long fangs! (9 photos)

Sometimes it seems that all the interesting animals have sunk into oblivion along with the ice age. But believe me, the planet is still full of strange animals! Take, for example, the familiar giraffe: a seven-meter horse with a spot. Or how about, for example, a waterfowl saber-toothed deer that can retract its teeth, hmm?





This miracle's name is water deer. It is registered for permanent residence in the humid forests and swamps of Korea and Eastern China. And recently he was spotted by the border guards of our Vast. “Recently” not because they were inattentive, but because the deer is not only hiding, like you are in your room with guests in the kitchen, but it is also rare.



No, we didn't make it rare. It has already been discovered to be rare. A significant meeting of saber-toothed deer and people occurred in the 19th century, even by human historical standards it was literally yesterday. The question may reasonably arise: how, in fact, can you remain hidden and unknown for a long time if you are a fucking DEER?





What's so difficult not to notice? The water deer walks alone, camouflages itself with the local landscape, and in size it is no larger than my Bobik - 50 centimeters in height and 15 kilos in weight. In addition, the animal moves silently through the forest. It doesn’t cling to branches, doesn’t tear off foliage - there are no horns.



At first glance, it appears to be the skull of a Smilodon. And on the second one too.

But there are fangs, up to 8 centimeters. Not all predators have these! As befits anything long and protruding, they are a sexual characteristic in boys. A knowledgeable reader will notice an obvious and almost one hundred percent similarity with the musk deer - another saber-toothed deer. But these two are united only by a group of cetaceans. They are related to each other about the same as a cow is to a giraffe - very distant.



Animals even have different families: the musk deer is part of the family named after its beloved, while our waterfowl friend is a pure deer.

He even distinguished himself in the structure of his fangs: while the musk deer always stick out, the water deer can retract them like the blade of a Swiss Army knife! To do this, he uses special muscles on his face. In this form, the fangs will definitely not interfere with the meal. By the way, don’t let the animal’s saber-toothed appearance fool you—our sidekick is a total vegan. In the forest dining room, he liked the juicy herbs, shoots and mushrooms most of all, and often eats water lilies.



His improved swimming skill helps him get the latter. Unexpected for its name, right? The ungulate Michael Phelps is able to travel several kilometers along the river without rest, getting leaves or hiding from predators.



Nothing unusual, just a shaggy duck, keep scrolling.

In December, single swimmers decide to spice up their routine with an annual cupcake. The girl decides when she wants it and, if anything happens, she whistles. No, I’m serious - during the rutting period, the female signals to the males that she is ready for a high relationship with the help of a whistle, and they already cross swords in the fight for her. I mean, swords that have teeth. It was awkward...



At the beginning of summer, just in time for the season of maximum greenery, the babies appear. It is still unknown exactly how many, but locals say that there can be a whole portion of them, from 1 to 6.



Mom teaches the fawn to swim. You won't see anything cuter today.

My rating for the waterfowl is 8.5 out of 10. An assassin from the world of deer with retractable teeth. And also a waterfowl!