Colour

Dybowski Sika deer coats will vary with the season. The summer coat is quite spectacular. In the summer they are reddish-brown with white spots. In winter, the spots mainly disappear and a thicker coat which is darker/greyish-brown is common. The stags develop a thicker, shaggy mane in the autumn prior to the rut.

Both sexes have a white caudal/rump patch with a black bar on the top of it. Most animals have a black or brown stripe extending from the black bar on top of the caudal patch to the tip of the tail. The tail is relatively long compared to other species. When an animal is alert or scared, it will raise its tail to a vertical position. The caudal patch hairs will fan out and become erect. This exposes a large white rump area to the rest of the herd.

A darker dorsal strip down the spine, as in the last picture of a Pure stag, is not a feature on every animal.