It weighs the same as a mountain gorilla and is as tall as an emperor penguin: Meet the biggest wild land animal in the UK

It roams the windswept hills and dense woodlands, often vanishing into the mist before you even know it’s there. Ancient, powerful, and surprisingly stealthy, this giant of the British wild has inspired legends and captured the imagination for centuries

The biggest wild land animal is the Monarch of the Glen, the red deer (Cervus elaphus). The red deer can grow up to 1.3m at the shoulder and weigh up to 225kg. They have dark russet-brown fur, with a paler rump patch and tail. Males have large, branching antlers.

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The red deer is one of six deer species in the UK, which range in size from them to the diminutive Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi). Just two are truly native to the UK – the red deer and the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

Roe deer are graceful with a white chin and rump patch, and a black nose. By comparison they stand 60-75cm at the shoulder and weigh just 10-25kg.

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Main image: Getty Images