sniffing each other. Mating among water deer is polygynous, with most females being mated inside the buck's territory. After repeated mountings, copulation is brief. Water deer have been known to produce up to seven young, but two to three is normal for this species, the most prolific of all deer. The doe often gives birth to her spotted young in the open, but they are quickly taken to concealing vegetation, where they will remain most of the time for up to a month. During these first few weeks, fawns come out to play. Once driven from the natal territory in late summer, young deer sometimes continue to associate with each other, later separating to begin their solitary existence. Young water deer are also known to grow faster and be more precocious in comparison to other similar species. See also Deer of Great Britain References External links Wildlife Online - Chinese Water Deer Hydropotes inermis - Chinese water deer – archive at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine Chinese Water Deer Foundation Deer Mammals of Asia Mammals of China Mammals of Korea Vulnerable fauna of Asia Mammals described in 1870 Taxa named by Robert Swinhoe