Strength and combat
Bucks of equal size take the measure of each other by listening to their bellows, assessing body size, and smelling their scents. If no rank order can be established, the issue is resolved in a combat which is decided by butting strength. The weaker buck is forced to retreat.
Few fathers
The does actively seek out dominant males, thus producing strong and healthy offspring. This pattern of mating ensures that only a few bucks, the largest, produce offspring. All the does are able to mate, but many of the bucks have to go without.
Heritage
Body size is an inherited trait. As a result, the bucks become increasingly larger with successive
generations. This has led to great differences in size between bucks and does. A buck can weigh up to 250 kilograms, but a doe no more than 130 kg.
Lone mother
The doe gives birth during May-June, usually to a single fawn. The mother is solely responsible for looking after the offspring – a common pattern among mammals.
