# Water deer (*Hydropotes inermis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/water-deer  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The water deer (Hydropotes inermis), also called Vampire deer or Chinese water deer, is a mammal in the family Cervidae, subfamily Capreolinae, order Artiodactyla. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial herbivore of forest habitat, with adults weighing 14 kg and a cathemeral activity pattern. Gestation lasts 190 days, with reported values from 180 to 210 days, litters hold 3 young, and sexual maturity comes at 213.1 days. The IUCN Red List assesses the water deer as Vulnerable, a threatened category, and its lifespan is 12.95 years, with values up to 13.92 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 12.8 kg – 14 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 13 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 13.9 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 180 days – 210 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3 |
| Age at maturity | 7 months |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Cervidae
- genus: Hydropotes
- species: *Hydropotes inermis* Swinhoe, 1870

Synonyms: *Hydropotes affinis*, *Hydropotes inermis argyropus*, *Hydropotes kreyenbergi*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the water deer?

The water deer is a mammal in the deer family Cervidae, order Artiodactyla. It belongs to the subfamily Capreolinae and the genus Hydropotes.

### How heavy is a water deer?

An adult Water deer weighs 14 kg, which places it in the medium size class.

### What does the water deer eat?

The water deer is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the water deer live in?

The water deer lives in forest habitat and is terrestrial.

### Is the water deer endangered?

The water deer is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a water deer live?

The water deer has a lifespan of 12.95 years, with values up to 13.92 years reported.

### How many young does a water deer have?

A water deer has 3 young per litter, after a gestation of 190 days.

### Who named the water deer?

The water deer was named Hydropotes inermis by Swinhoe, 1870.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Water deer (Hydropotes inermis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/water-deer