---
title: "Père David's Deer"
description: "Elaphurus davidianus — Mammiferi. Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), also known as the milu (Chinese: 麋鹿; pinyin: mílù) or elaphure, is a species of deer native to the subtropical river valleys of China."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/pere-david-s-deer
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Père David's Deer

> Elaphurus davidianus — Mammiferi. Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), also known as the milu (Chinese: 麋鹿; pinyin: mílù) or elaphure, is a species of deer native to the subtropical river valleys of China.

- Scientific name: *Elaphurus davidianus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammiferi)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Laghi e fiumi), `zoo` (Zoo e animali domestici)
- iNaturalist observations: 443
- Wikidata: [Q207906](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q207906)
- iNaturalist taxon: [42230](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42230)

## Names

- en: Père David's Deer
- de: Davidshirsch
- es: Ciervo del Padre David
- fr: Cerf du père David
- nl: Pater-Davidshert
- pt: Cervo-do-padre-david
- pl: Milu chiński

## Countries with the most observations

CN (147), GB (3)

## Summary

Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), also known as the milu (Chinese: 麋鹿; pinyin: mílù) or elaphure, is a species of deer native to the subtropical river valleys of China. It grazes mainly on grass and aquatic plants. It is the only extant member of the genus Elaphurus. Some experts suggest demoting Elaphurus to a subgenus of Cervus. Based on genetic comparisons, Père David's deer is closely related to Eld's deer.
Père David's deer were hunted almost to extinction in their native China by the late 19th century, but a number were taken to zoos in France and Germany and the deer was bred successfully in captivity…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_David%27s_deer

## Photo

![Père David's Deer](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/pere-david-s-deer/medium.jpg)

Photo: Richard Fuller · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/201043464

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/pere-david-s-deer?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).