Shanxi Sika Deer
Encyclopedia
The Shanxi Sika Deer is a possibly extinct subspecies of the Sika deer
Sika Deer
The Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to various other parts of the world...

. It is also one of its largest, being 105 - 110 cm tall at the shoulder, and weighs 100 kg. The color is tawny or grayish dark, and is brown on the back of the leg. The spots are nearly invisible. It is previously found in two populations in the upland forests of Lüliang Mountains
Lüliang Mountains
The Lüliang Mountains is a mountain range along the western border of Shanxi, China. To the west is Shaanxi with the south-flowing part of the Yellow River and the Ordos Region. To the east is the central valley of Shanxi with the south-flowing Fen River and then the Taihang Mountains and the...

 in western Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

 , while its range might be much larger in historical times, encompassing the entire loess plateau
Loess Plateau
The Loess Plateau , also known as the Huangtu Plateau, is a plateau that covers an area of some 640,000 km² in the upper and middle reaches of China's Yellow River. Loess is the name for the silty sediment that has been deposited by wind storms on the plateau over the ages...

. There has been no sightings of the subspecies for decades and it is now believed to be extinct, though no actual investigations have been done. Although pure bred individuals remain in farms as a breed, there is not enough suitable habitat nor government effort for reintroduction to take place.
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