Antifer (SciiFii)

The Antifer's deer (Antifer ultra), also known simply as the antifer, is a species of deer that originally lived in South America during the early to late Pleistocene and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced throughout the modern open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across South America to help boost biodiversity. The Antifer's deer is an adaptable animal, with its habitat ranging from hot and humid regions of the Argentinian Mesopotamia to the dry and cool Pampas and northern Patagonia. The species occasionally occurs in the same general regions as another cervid, the South Andean deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus), but where the latter is associated primarily with cold forests and periglacial scrub, the Antifer's deer has a broader climatic range, and is heavily associated with open habitats. The Antifer's deer is one of the largest cervids in South America, with the body-mass around 200 kilograms, comparable to that of the Eurasian red deer (Cervus elaphus). The Antifer's deer is a herbivore like other species of deer, being known to feed on leaves, fruits, shrubs, nuts, seeds, beans, pods, roots, tubers, grasses, and desert plants (including cacti). In addition to movements related to available shelter and food, the breeding cycle is important in understanding deer behavior. The "rut" or mating season usually begins in the fall as does go into estrus for a period of a few days and males become more aggressive, competing for mates. Does may mate with more than one buck and go back into estrus within a month if they did not become pregnant. The gestation period is about 200–210 days, with fawns born in the spring. The survival rate of the fawns during labor is about 50%. Fawns stay with their mothers during the summer and are weaned in the fall after about 60–75 days. Antifer's deer females usually give birth to two fawns, although if it is their first time having a fawn, they often have just one. A buck's antlers fall off during the winter, then grow again in preparation for the next season's rut. The annual cycle of antler growth is regulated by changes in the length of the day. The size of Antifer's deer groups follows a marked seasonal pattern. Groups are smallest during fawning season and largest in early gestation. Besides humans, the five leading predators of Antifer's deer are saber-toothed cats, jaguars, cougars, large carnivorous canids, and short-faced bears. The conservation status of the Antifer's deer is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the Antifer's deer's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.