The Barbary stag or Atlas deer is a subspecies of red deer

Red Deer

The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...

 that is native to North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

.

Description

The Barbary stag is smaller than the typical red deer. Its body is dark brown with some white spots on its flanks and back. The antler

Antler

Antlers are the usually large, branching bony appendages on the heads of most deer species.-Etymology:Antler originally meant the lowest tine, the "brow tine"...

s lack the bez (second) tine

Range/Habitat

The Atlas deer is the only member of the deer family that is native to Africa. It thrives in dense, humid forested areas of Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

, Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

 and Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

. It had initially been hunted to extinction in the latter, but specimens from the Tunisian population were reintroduced in the 1990s.

Nomenclature

Recent genetic studies indicate that the North African red deer population is practically indistinguishable from the Sardinian and Corsican populations, generally referred to as the Corsican red deer

Corsican Red Deer

Corsican Red Deer , also known simply as Corsican or Sardinian Deer, is a subspecies of the Red Deer , endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia, Italy and Corsica, France....

. This strongly argues for an ancient introduction of red deer from North Africa to these mediterranean islands by humans. Further analysis suggests that the Barbary stag, including Corsican red deer, belongs to a separate species, and should be grouped under the name Cervus corsicanus.

Predators

The Barbary stag has or has had predators like the Barbary lion

Barbary Lion

The Barbary lion , also known as the Atlas lion or Nubian lion, is a subspecies of lion that became extinct in the wild or extinct in the 20th century....

, the Atlas bear

Atlas Bear

The Atlas Bear is an extinct subspecies of the Brown Bear, which is sometimes classified as a distinct species.-Range and description:...

, and the Barbary leopard

Barbary leopard

The Barbary Leopard or North African Leopard has been described originally as a separate subspecies of the leopard. It is native to the Atlas Mountains of North Africa...

, but they have either become extinct or are endangered.

External links

• US Fish & Wildlife Service entry for the Barbary Stag
• Description (Spanish)
• Inclusion of Cervus elaphus barbarus (Atlas deer) in Appendix I of CITES (with a description of this species)