Dama (genus)
Dama is a genus of deer in the subfamily Cervinae, commonly referred to as fallow deer.[2]
| Dama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| European fallow deer (D. dama) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | Cervinae |
| Tribe: | Cervini |
| Genus: | Dama Frisch, 1775 |
| Type species | |
| Cervus dama [1] Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Species | |
Name
The name fallow is derived from the deer's pale brown colour. The Latin word dāma or damma, used for roe deer, gazelles, and antelopes, lies at the root of the modern scientific name, as well as the German Damhirsch, French daim, Dutch damhert, and Italian daino. In Serbo-Croatian, the name for the fallow deer is jelen lopatar ("shovel deer"), due to the form of its antlers. The Modern Hebrew name of the fallow deer is yachmur (יחמור).
Taxonomy and evolution
The genus includes two extant species:
Extant species
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | D. dama | European fallow deer | Confirmed native only to Turkey, but possibly native to the Italian Peninsula, the Balkans, and the island of Rhodes in Greece; introduced from Roman times onwards to the rest of Europe, and around the world in more recent times |
 | D. mesopotamica | Persian fallow deer | Iran and Israel; once ranged throughout the Middle East and eastern Turkey |
Some taxonomists classify the Persian fallow deer as a subspecies (D. d. mesopotamica),[1] while others, such as the IUCN, treat it as a separate species (D. mesopotamica).[3]
References
- Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Saltz, David; Rabiei, Alireza; Daujat, Julie; Baker, Karis; Noam Werner (IUCN SSC Deer SG / General Curator EAZA Deer TAG Chair, The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens (July 25, 2015). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dama mesopotamica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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