White-lipped Deer

The white-lipped deer is a large Chinese deer named for the sharply contrasting white fur around its muzzle, lips and lower jaw. Its dense, hollow guard hairs provide insulation in the Tibetan Plateau's cold climate; the coat changes from pale yellowish brown in summer to dark brown in winter. Adult males average approximately 200kg and carry branching antlers that can approach one metre, while females average about 150kg and lack antlers. (Cai 1988; Wang et al. 2025)

Endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent Chinese mountains, the species occupies alpine grasslands, high pastures, rhododendron and willow scrub and forest-meadow mosaics, chiefly at 3,500–5,000m. White-lipped deer are social and may form large, sex-segregated or mixed herds. Grasses and sedges provide most food, supplemented by other leaves, buds, twigs and bark. Mating occurs from September to November; gestation lasts 230–250 days and females normally deliver one calf between late May and June. (Zheng, Wu and Han 2007; Kaji et al. 1989)