The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Asia.

Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.

It is a ruminant, eating its food in two stages and having an even number of toes on each hoof, like camels, goats, and cattle.

[9] Size varies in different subspecies with the largest, the huge but small-antlered deer of the Carpathian Mountains (C. e. elaphus), weighing up to 500 kg (1,100 lb).

European red deer antlers are distinctive in being rather straight and rugose, with the fourth and fifth tines forming a "crown" or "cup" in larger males.

Antlers of Caspian red deer carry large bez tines and form less-developed cups than western European red deer, their antlers are thus more like the "throw back" top tines of the North American elk (C. canadensis), known as maraloid characteristics.

[5] During the autumn, all red deer subspecies grow thicker coats of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter.

By the time summer begins, the heavy winter coat has been shed; the animals are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies.

In the UK, indigenous populations occur in Scotland, the Lake District, and the south west of England (principally on Exmoor).

[17] Not all of these are of entirely pure bloodlines, as some of these populations have been supplemented with deliberate releases of deer from parks, such as Warnham or Woburn Abbey, in an attempt to increase antler sizes and body weights.

The University of Edinburgh found that, in Scotland, extensive hybridisation with the closely related sika deer has occurred.

Further substantial red deer herds originated from escapes or deliberate releases in the New Forest, the Peak District, Suffolk, Lancashire, Brecon Beacons, and North Yorkshire, as well as many other smaller populations scattered throughout England and Wales, and they are all generally increasing in numbers and range.

The first red deer to reach New Zealand were a pair sent by Lord Petre in 1851 from his herd at Thorndon Park, Essex, to the South Island, but the hind was shot before they had a chance to breed.

[24] In 1927, the State Forest Service introduced a bounty for red deer shot on their land, and in 1931, government control operations were commenced.

Some hybridisation happened with the closely related American elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) introduced in Fiordland in 1921.

Along with the other introduced deer species, they are, however, officially regarded as a noxious pest and are still heavily culled using professional hunters working with helicopters, or even poisoned.

Wild red deer are a feral pest species in Australia, do considerable harm to the natural environment, and are a significant road traffic hazard.

Until recently, biologists considered the red deer and elk or wapiti (C. canadensis) the same species, forming a continuous distribution throughout temperate Eurasia and North America.

[41][citation needed] Only mature stags hold harems (groups of hinds), and breeding success peaks at about eight years of age.

The newborn calves are kept close to the hinds by a series of vocalizations between the two, and larger nurseries have an ongoing and constant chatter during the daytime hours.

When approached by predators, the largest and most robust females may make a stand, using their front legs to kick at their attackers.

Aside from humans and domestic dogs, the grey wolf is probably the most dangerous predator European red deer encounter.

In medieval hunting, the red deer was the most prestigious quarry, especially the mature stag, which in England was called a hart.

The meat of the deer, called venison, was until recently[date missing] restricted in the United Kingdom to those with connections to the aristocratic or poaching communities, and a licence was needed to sell it legally, but it is now widely available in supermarkets, especially in the autumn.

The Queen followed the custom of offering large pieces of venison to members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and others.

Some estates in the Scottish Highlands still sell deer-stalking accompanied by a gillie in the traditional way, on unfenced land, while others operate more like farms for venison.

[citation needed] On ranches in New Zealand, China, Siberia, and elsewhere,[47] this velvet is collected and sold to markets in East Asia, where it is used for holistic medicines, with South Korea being the primary consumer.

[citation needed] The antlers themselves are also believed by East Asians to have medicinal purposes and are often ground up and used in small quantities.

[citation needed] In modern times, western countries such as New Zealand and United States have taken to farming European red deer for similar purposes.

In the 19th century the European nobility discovered red deer antlers as perfect decorations for their manors and hunting castles.