Growth of European roe deer: patterns and rates

The aim of this study was to describe the pattern and rates of growth of ro e deer fawns up to the age of weaning. Eighteen fawns of Capreolus capreolu s (Linnaeus, 1758) raised by their mothers in enclosures grew at decelerati ng rates after birth, with a monomolecular rather than sigmoid pattern. Bot tle rearing modified profoundly the natural pattern of growth, but these fa wns caught up with mother-reared fawns by weaning (about six months). There was no evidence for differential investment by the mothers in male and fem ale offspring. Most mother-reared fawns showed an initial, near-linear phas e in their first month (10/12 individuals). During this period milk provide s all, or nearly all the nutrients; the rates of growth were high (145 g/da y), and close to the value observed in a highly productive wild population. The decelerating rate of growth may be a consequence of allocation of reso urces to movement as these "hider" young become more active; and the monomo lecular pattern may be commoner among ungulates than is currently realised.