SIKA

(species Cervus nippon), gregarious, forest-dwelling deer, family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), native to eastern Asia. The sika was long considered sacred in Japan and is valued in China for its antlers, which are used in traditional medicine. A small to medium-sized deer, it has a white rump and a white-spotted coat. The male has four-tined antlers. Several of the races of sikas, which vary in size and coloration, are listed as endangered in the Red Data Book. The Japanese sika, or Japanese deer (C. n. nippon), is widely kept in zoological gardens and has been introduced into Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The smallest of the sikas, it stands 8086 cm (3134 inches) at the shoulder. Its coat is reddish brown with white spots in summer and brown without spots in winter. The largest sika is the Dybowski's, or Ussuri, sika (C. n. hortulorum), which stands approximately 110 cm (43 inches) at the shoulder. This deer is pale brown and spotted in summer and dark brown, with or without spots, in winter.