Chinese water deer standing by a misty marsh at the forest edge

Chinese Water Deer: Facts, Photos & Why It’s So Strange

Hydropotes inermis

Bambi with vampire fangs

It has a teddy-bear face, round fluffy ears and two long fangs hanging out of its mouth. The Chinese water deer never grew antlers – it kept tusks instead. People call it the vampire deer. It eats grass.

Chinese Water Deer vs. you

Your heightft / incm ft in5 ft 7 in

Highlights

A deer with fangs, not antlers
Highlights

It can fold its tusks away
Highlights

Doing better in England than China

Size: ~18–22 in; About 18–22 in (45–55 cm) at the shoulder
Weight: 24–40 lb; 24–40 lb (11–18 kg)
Lifespan: ~10–12 years; About 10–12 years
Left in the wild: Unknown; Unknown in Asia; several thousand live wild in England

Conservation status

Least Concern
Near Threatened
Vulnerable (this animal)
Endangered
Critically Endangered
Extinct in the Wild
Extinct

Vulnerable

Superpowers

Venomous : Is it venomous? No
Glows : Does it glow? No
Regenerates limbs : Can it regenerate limbs? No

Identity

Scientific name: Hydropotes inermis
Class: Mammal (deer)
First described: 1870, by Robert Swinhoe

Life & family

Diet: Grasses, reeds, herbs and vegetables
Gestation: About 6–7 months
Offspring: Usually 2–3 fawns, sometimes more
Predators: Leopards and wild dogs in Asia; foxes take fawns in England

Where to find it

Habitat: Reed beds, riverbanks, marshes and wet grassland
Lives in: Eastern China and Korea – and, after escaping from parks, England
In the wild: Yes – surprisingly, in the marshes of eastern England
In zoos: Yes – some zoos and wildlife parks

Explore similar

Why is this animal unusual?

It’s one of the very few deer with no antlers at all. Instead, males grow upper canine teeth up to 3.1 in (8 cm) long.

Why does it look like that?

Those tusks sit loosely in their sockets. The deer can pull them back out of the way to eat and swing them forward when it’s time to fight.

Strangest biological feature

Movable fangs, controlled by facial muscles.

Why is it strange?

It’s in trouble in China, but thriving in England. A few escaped from a zoo and a country park about a century ago, and today a noticeable share of the world’s water deer lives in the English countryside.

Interesting behavioral facts

As the name suggests, it’s a strong swimmer and will cross rivers to reach new feeding grounds. When alarmed, it barks like a dog.

Records held

It has bigger litters than any other deer.

Chinese water deer with small fangs and big ears standing in a marsh

Chinese Water Deer: quick answers

Is the Chinese water deer a vampire?

No. Despite the nickname “vampire deer”, it eats only plants. The males use their fangs to fight each other in the mating season.

Are Chinese water deer dangerous to humans?

No. They’re small and shy and run away from people.

Do female Chinese water deer have fangs?

Females have much smaller canine teeth that don’t stick out like the males’ tusks.

How did Chinese water deer end up in England?

They were brought to parks and zoos such as Woburn Abbey around 1900. Some escaped or were released, and they spread into the countryside, especially in eastern England.