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. Previously found from northern
Vietnam in the south to the
Russian Far East in the north, it is now uncommon in these areas, excluding
Japan, where the species is overabundant. Its name comes from , the Japanese word for "deer"; in Japan the species is known as the .