The beam is the part of a stag's head from which the antlers sprout. It is so called from the Anglo-Saxon word for a tree, the antlers resembling trees and long being called branches in English.
Camelidae is the camels, llamas, alpacas, vicugnas and guanacos family of animals of the order Artiodactyla. Camelids are all large, the South American forms ranging in weight from 35 kg to almost 100 kg. Old World camels, however, are much larger, weighing between 450 kg and 650 kg. Camelids vary in body shape from slender to stocky, but all have long, gracile necks; a small head; and long, slender legs. The upper lip is deeply and distinctively cleft. Their toes are splayed, and Camelids are the only plantigrade or fully digitigrade ungulates. The skulls of Camelids have an elongated rostrum, a well developed sagittal crest, and a complete postorbital bar. They lack horns or antlers. The cheek teeth are selenodont. Upper incisors are present; young have three on each side, but adults have only one, which is canine-like. The spatulate lower incisorsproject forward. The canines, which are present in both upper and lower jaws, are medium- sized and hooked. A wide diastema separates incisors and cheek teeth. Research Camelidae
Deer is the Cervidae family of ruminanthoofed mammals allied to the Antelopes (differing in that the deer's horns - antlers - are shed annually, and the antelope's horns are permanent). They have lithe, but compact bodies and short tails. The legs are long and slender, and they have eight cutting teeth in the lower jaw and none in the upper. Deer are most commonly associated with possessing antlers, though a few species lack antlers. The antlers are bony outgrowths arising from the frontal bones, and in most species are borne only by the male - the Caribou being the exception. Deer are all excellent swimmers, and are widely hunted by man across the world for their meat (venison) and their skin which tans to a soft leather which has been used for clothing for centuries. Research Deer
The muntjac is a small deer found in India and south east Asia, and belonging to the genus Cervulus. The antlers of the male are short and simple, possessing only one process, which forms a short brow tine, but furnished with unusually long pedicles. In the male the upper canine teeth are large, and project visibly from the mouth as tusks, and are used as weapons. The body is long, the limbs and neck short, the gait rather clumsy and not rapid. Muntjacs are jungle animals, and are found especially in upland forests. The typical form is the Indian barking deer (Cervulus
muntjac). Following escapes from Woburn Park in Bedfordshire, the Muntjac is now established and fairly common in South and Central England. Research Muntjac
The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is Britain's largest native land mammal. The male is larger than the female, standing 120 centimetres at the shoulder, and has well developed, branching antlers which are shed each February, a new set growing in the spring, and becoming larger each season. In summer the coat appears reddish brown, but in the winter changes to grey-brown. Red deer live in single sex herds for much of the year, spending much of the day wrestling and wallowing in mud. Mating takes place during the autumn, and the annual rut is accompanied by roaring, bellowing sounds from the males.
Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are a species of deer found in north Europe and north Asia. It has branched, recurved, round antlers. The legs are quite short in proportion to the body. The Laplanders often use reindeer as a substitute for horses, sheep and cattle, using them for pulling sledges, food, and clothing. Research Reindeer
The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small, agile deer. They have a sandy to red-brown coat with a white to buff rump patch which is more pronounced in the female than the male, a black nose and a black moustache-like marking, and white chin. The male has three-pointed antlers. Roe deer are found in woodlands, usually with open ground within, and access to the edges of fields. Occasionally they may be found on moorland with deep heather. Research Roe deer
The Sambur or Sambar (Cervus unicolor) is a species of deer found throughout India and Sri Lanka, and replaced by closely related forms in Burma and the Malay region. It is a large and powerful animal, standing about 1.5 metres high, characterised by its uniform dark brown colour and the three-pronged antlers, in which the brow tine forms an acute angle with the beam. Research Sambur
The stag beetles (Lucanidae) are a family of beetles of the superfamily Scarabaeidae, found in rotting wood, and characterized by their long jaws which are often branched like the antlers of a stag, from whence their popular name derives. Research Stag Beetle
Tragulidae is the mousedeer family of animals of the order Artiodactyla. Usually solitary and nocturnal, tragulids live in dense vegetation on the forest floor where they feed principally on grasses, leaves, and some fruit, but they also eat invertebrates, small mammals, and sometimes carrion. Limbs, are long and slender and end in hoofs. The carpals are cuboidal and highly specialized; the lateral digits are present although not strongly developed, and they are sometimes digitigrade. The hind feet have a cannon bone; the third and fourth metacarpals of the forefeet are either unfused (as in the African species) or only partially fused (as in the Asian species). An ossified plate to which the sacral vertebrae attach is present. Antlers and horns are absent. A postorbital bar is present. There is no sagittal crest, and the mandibular condyle is long. A full set of lower incisors is present, but the uppers are replaced by a horny pad. Canines are present, large and curved in males, extending below the lower lip, smaller in females. Research Tragulidae
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Camelidae
