Sika Deer

Sika Deer
ニホンジカ
Character Data
AKA		Spotted Deer, Japanese Deer
Romaji		Nihon Jika
Debut		Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name		Cervus nippon
Distribution		East Asia
Diet		Herbivore
Avg. Lifespan		12-25 years
Read More		Sika Deer
Conservation

Sika Deer

Anime

Festival

KF3

Nexon Game

Gallery

The Sika Deer is a type of mammal Friend that debuted in the original Kemono Friends mobile game and later cameoed in the Kemono Friends anime. She was then redesigned for her appearance in Kemono Friends 3.

Appearance

Old Design

Sika Deer wears a light brown school uniform and white tights with brown edges above the knees. Her skirt and collar have white dots. She has small antlers growing from her head, and holds a hacksaw-like weapon with both ends shaped like deer antlers.

Redesign

Redesigned Sika Deer wears a short-sleeved school uniform with a brown miniskirt. Her hair has also changed from twin tails into braids, and she has white ribbons tied around her animal ears. Her antlers has more branches than her old design which indicates that she is an adult Sika Deer instead of juvenile.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role	First Appearance
2015	Nexon Game	↪ Minor character, playable character
2017	Kemono Friends (2017 Anime)	↪ Background character	Episode 8
2018	Kemono Friends Festival	↪ Minor character, playable character
2018	Kemono Friends Picross	Appears in a puzzle
2019	Kemono Friends 3	↪ Minor character in story, playable character

In Real Life

A Male Sika Deer in Kadzidłowo, Poland. Photo by Lilly M, 2007.

A Female Sika Deer in the Wildpark Alte Fasanerie, Hanau, Germany. Photo by user 4028mdk09.

The Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) is a species of deer in the Cervidae family. It is native to most of East Asia and has since been introduced to other locations.

As a member of the genus Cervus, the Sika Deer is considered a "true deer". These deer were originally grouped in with nine other diverse species, all of which now are considered genetically different enough to get their own classes. Members of this genus are able to crossbreed with other members in areas where they coexist, which results in hybrids. One example is the Sika Deer and the Elk in the Scottish Highlands. The hybrids of the native Scottish red deer with introduced Sika have been deemed a serious threat to the gene pool of the Scottish deer. However, an invasive Sika in the United States cannot reproduce with a North American white-tailed, mule or black-tailed deer, as these animals are placed in a separate genus, Odocoileus.

Sika Deer are one of the few deer who do not lose their spots when they mature. These spot patterns vary between regions: mainland subspecies have larger and more obvious spots, whereas the Taiwanese and Japanese subspecies have very faint spots. Most of the introduced populations have roots from the Japanese subspecies, so they lack noticeable spots. The overall fur color ranges from a rich mahogany red to a jet black. During the winter, the coats become darker and shaggier, and the spots less prominent. Males will also form "manes" on their necks.

A tame Sika deer wandering the streets of the town of Miyajima, Japan. Photo by user Arcimboldo (Eckhard Pecher).

Though their sizes vary between subspecies, these deer tend to be more on the medium side. They can range anywhere from 50 to 110 cm (20 to 45 in.) tall at the shoulder and 95 to 180 cm (35 to 70 in.) in head-and-body length. The largest subspecies the Manchurian sika deer (C. n. mantchuricus), can weigh about 68–109 kg (150–240 lb.) in males and 45–50 kg (100–110 lb.) in females. On the contrary, the Japanese Sika Deer (C. n. nippon) males weigh 40–70 kg (90–150 lb.), and the females weigh 30–40 kg (70–90 lb.). Regardless of subspecies, all sikas have compact bodies with dainty legs, and short, wedge-shaped heads, accompanied by a boisterous disposition.

Sika deer are found in the temperate and subtropical forests and woodlands of eastern Asia. They prefer areas with dense understories, and where snowfall does not exceed 10–20 cm (4–8 in). Like other deer species, they tend to forage in patchy clearings of forests. Areas suitable for farming and other human exploitation seem to be favored spots. Japan has, by far, the largest native sika population in the world. Though the exact population is uncertain, it is likely to be in the hundred thousand range and is still increasing. This is thanks to recent conservation efforts and the extinction of its main predator, the Japanese wolf. Without a main predator, the population has exploded and now many areas are very overpopulated, posing a threat to both forests and farmlands. Efforts are now being made to control the population instead of conserving it.

China used to have the largest population of sika, but centuries of hunting and habitat loss have reduced the population to less than 1,000. The Taiwanese population had been extinct in the wild for almost two decades before individuals from zoos were introduced to Kenting National Park; the population is now around 200. Reintroduction programs are also under way in Vietnam, where the Vietnamese sika deer (C. n. pseudaxis) is extinct in the wild or near extinction. Russia has a relatively large and stable population of 8,500–9,000 individuals of the Manchurian subspecies, but this is limited to a small area in Primorsky Krai. There is a chance small populations exist in North Korea, but the political situation makes investigations impossible. The species is currently extinct in South Korea with no plans for reintroduction.

Trivia

• Sika Deer is the only redesigned friend appeared in Kemono Friends 3 with both old design and new design in photo illustration.
• Sika Deer is the first Friends whose old design treated as her younger form while the redesigned one as her adult form as revealed in her introduction lines and photo comments in Kemono Friends 3.
• By excluding collaboration Friends, Sika Deer is the only Friends who was originally designed by Mine Yoshizaki to get a redesign instead of EX design.
• Other names include the "Northern spotted deer" or the Japanese Deer.
• The name comes from shika (鹿), the Japanese word for "deer".
• In Chinese, it is known as 梅花鹿; méihuā​lù; 'peach blossom deer'
• There are 14 known subspecies and one possibly extinct subspecies.
• The only endangered subspecies is the Kerama Deer (C. n. keramae).
• A male Sika is called a "stag" and a female is called a "hind". Baby Sikas are known as "fawns".
• In Shinto religion and culture, the Shika Deer is considered a messenger between mortals and the gods.

References

• Wikipedia Page
• Harris, R.B. (2015). "Cervus nippon". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T41788A22155877. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T41788A22155877.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
• Senn, Helen. "Hybridisation between sika and red deer" (PDF). University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 5 December 2022. Hybridisation is predominantly occurring between sika stags and red deer hinds.
• Landesman, N. (22 March 2004). "Sika deer, Japanese deer". Ultimate Ungulate
• Sika Deer: Biology and Management of Native and Introduced Populations. Springer Science & Business Media. 2008. p. 28. ISBN 9784431094296.
• Tollman, Adrienne. "Sika deer". The British Deer Society. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
• Kaji, Koichi; Takashi Saitoh; Hiroyuki Uno; Hiroyuki Matsuda; Kohji Yamamura (2010). "Adaptive management of sika deer populations in Hokkaido, Japan: theory and practice". Population Ecology. 52 (3): 373–387. doi:10.1007/s10144-010-0219-4. S2CID 40435595.