The
red deer (
Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest
deer species. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the
Caucasus Mountains region,
Asia Minor,
Iran, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the
Atlas Mountains region between
Morocco and
Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red deer have been introduced to other areas, including
Australia,
New Zealand,
United States,
Canada,
Peru,
Uruguay,
Chile and
Argentina. In many parts of the world, the meat (
venison) from red deer is used as a food source.