The deer that grows fangs instead of antlers
This deer never grows antlers. It grows a pair of fangs instead, and it can swing them.
Which one is REALLY true about the Chinese Water Deer?
The short version
Male Chinese water deer grow no antlers at all. Instead they have long curved canine tusks up to eight centimetres that hang below the jaw, and they can swing them outward with facial muscles to fight and tuck them back to eat. Antlers evolved later in deer, so the fangs came first.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Chinese Water Deer never grows antlers at all, and the males grow a pair of long curved fangs instead.
- ✓The Chinese Water Deer has canine tusks that can reach eight centimetres and hang down below the jaw.
- ✓The Chinese Water Deer uses facial muscles to swing its tusks outward for a fight and tuck them back flat to eat.
- ✓The Chinese Water Deer is nicknamed the vampire deer because of the fangs hanging out from under its lip.
- ✓The Chinese Water Deer kept fangs from a time before antlers existed, because antlers evolved later in deer.
You could line up about 1 of them along a 7-year-old!
The full story
This deer has no antlers. Instead, it grows a pair of fangs. Meet the Chinese water deer, often nicknamed the vampire deer. The males never develop antlers at all. They grow long curved tusks instead, canine teeth that can reach eight centimetres and hang down below the jaw. And they can move them. Using facial muscles, a male swings those tusks outward to fight, then tucks them back flat when he wants to eat. Rival males slash at each other's shoulders and necks, and a serious fight can leave deep wounds. It is not a throwback either. Antlers evolved later in deer, so the fangs actually came first, and this species simply never gave them up. Follow for more weird animal facts.
Watch the 45-second version
Watch it on the channel.
Chinese Water Deer gallery
Check what you learned
No score, no pressure — just see what stuck. Tap Real or Fake.
“The Chinese Water Deer never grows antlers at all, and the males grow a pair of long curved fangs instead.”
“The Chinese Water Deer is the largest crab that walks on land, stretching up to three feet from claw to claw.”
“The Chinese Water Deer has canine tusks that can reach eight centimetres and hang down below the jaw.”