Is Bambi A Boy Or Girl Deer? What Should Bambi Be Called?

Bambi, a Life in The Woods was a pretty famous novel. It got so much attention that a movie was then released based on the film. Even though the movie could not fit all of the things that were inside the novel, it was complete.

And guess what, the movie was a huge success. The kids loved it, and even the adults enjoyed watching it. But we are not here to talk about the film because we believe you have already seen it and know how good it is.

Instead, the question of is Bambi a boy or girl deer is what we are going to focus on. Due to the appearance in the movie, many believe that Bambi is a girl deer or a soon-to-be doe. However, the ones that read the novel states that Bambi is a boy deer or soon-to-be a buck. To find out the exact answer, you must keep on reading!

What Was The Movie About?

Before we get into answering the main topic at hand, we would like to ensure that you got what the film was actually about. And you will get to know all about the film in short in this segment.

Characters

The film had a lot of characters. However, not all of them were the main characters. The main ones were Bambi, Bambi’s parents, Bambi’s friends, and finally, a skunk. Can you remember what were all of the characters called?

Well, to give you a recap, the father was called the Great Prince, while the mother had no name. Among the friends, one that was the most highlighted is the rabbit that had a pink nose. And that rabbit was called Thumper. Finally, the skunk was named Flower

Now, you might have already pointed out that we missed a character in the previous para. Well, it was intentional. Bambi’s childhood friend played a vital role in the film and the novel. Her name was Faline. And apart from being a friend, she was the future mate of Bambi.

Plot

The story goes something like this; A doe gave birth to a fawn that was named Bambi. And that fawn was to take over the position of the father, who was named the Great Prince. In the film, the father had an essential role in the forest. He offered protection from hunters and other woodland creatures.

Childhood

Bambi was soon to have a lot of weight on the shoulders. However, the childhood of the fawn was full of fun. The fawn had a friend who was highly energetic. And this rabbit friend was called Thumper. Also, the fawn had a skunk friend, who was Flower, and a soon-to-be mate, Faline.

While the Flower hibernates during the winter, Bambi roamed around and played around. However, the fawn did not know who his father was. The mother was the only deer that the fawn would consider as family. But in the movie, you will see the fawn meeting the Great Prince once.

That being said, one day, when the fawn’s mother was out for food, she took Bambi with her. However, they met a hunter who shot the doe. Taking pity, the hunter lets the fawn escape. And the great Prince leads Bambi home as he finds out that the fawn is his own child.

Adulthood

Years passed after the mother died, and Bambi becomes mature enough to become a stag. However, the stag did face a lot of challenges. The relationship between Faline and Bambi gets interrupted by an older stag. While fighting, Bambi becomes unconscious and then gets awakened by the smell of the smoke.

Bambi follows the trail to find out a hideout of hunters. There, the stag creates quite a ruckus, which makes the whole camp catch fire. This fire soon spreads to the forest but eventually, Bambi, the father, and Faline escapes. In the end, Bambi achieves the position of the father. Also, Faline gives birth to twins.

So, Is Bambi a Boy or a Girl?

If you notice, while describing the plot, we left suspense. Faline did give birth to twins, but who was the father? If you watched the movie, you are pretty sure that the father is no one other than Bambi. After the forest fire, the stag that challenged Bambi was not shown.

As Bambi is the father of the twins Faline gave birth to, he is certainly a male. However, due to the representation in the movie, many think that the fawn is a female. But as you can see now, the case is a bit different.

Even in the novels, Bambi was a boy deer. And the movie portrayed it accordingly.

How To Spot A Male Deer?

As you might know by now, the male deers are generally called bucks. But that is only applicable if the deer is from Asia and some areas of Africa. In the other regions, they often go by the name of stag, bull, and hart.

That being said, there are a couple of things that you need to consider if you want to spot a male deer. The first giveaway would be the antlers. Usually, the female deers do not have antlers. However, the water male deers from the East Asia Region might not have antlers.

Nonetheless, even though some of the female deers might have antlers, they will not be as branched out. In comparison, the bucks are going to have spread out antlers. Also, the antlers of the bucks are going to be considerably large in size, which is not applicable for the female deers.

How To Spot A Female Deer?

When it comes to the female deers, the antlers tell it all. Usually, the does will not have any antler on the head at all. Also, they will be reasonably smaller than the bucks. And that smaller body size can tell you whether the deer is a male or a female.

However, some of the female reindeers will have a bit of antler on their heads. These antlers will be considerably small in size and will wear down once the female gives birth to fawns. Also, the antlers of females will be deformed and less spread out.

Nevertheless, the female deers are usually called doe. But you will find people calling them a cow or a hind.

What Is The Role Of Antlers In The Case Of Male Deers?

The male deers have antlers for a reason, which is to assert dominance. You will notice that the male deers with the largest and the widest antler are the group leader. They hold the ability to fight prey and fight with the other male deers that might be a threat to the group.

Now, if we were to make a connection with the movie, you will notice that The Great Prince of the Forest ( Bambi’s Father) had the largest antler. And his antlers were spread out as well. And he obtained the role of protecting the entire forest because of having this trait.

Due to the nature of the antler, it lets the bucks lock it into places. And that is what makes them capable of wrestling. Also, as females do not have antlers, they will not start up a fight with the bucks. Instead, they are very much attracted to the ones that have the largest antlers.

That being said, does are not just attracted to the size and the width of the antlers. They think that the buck with the largest antler will be capable of putting up a good fight. That also means that there will be a higher chance of the offspring surviving if anything goes wrong.

And baby deers do require a lot of attention. Even though they are capable of standing up within 20 minutes after birth, it takes weeks for their small legs to become stronger. That is why they are usually the last ones in the group.

Why Are Deers Categorized To Having Dimorphism?

First, you need to understand what dimorphism actually means. It states that to understand the sex of the animal, you will not need to take a look at the sexual organs. And the case is the same for the deers.

As we have mentioned, the does are going to have a considerably smaller body size. The bucks are going to be comparatively larger than them. Also, not all of them do have antlers on the head.

Even if some females might have antlers on the head, they will be deformed and less branched out. In comparison, the antlers of the bucks will be spread out and large in size.

Final Words

To conclude, if you are still wondering is Bambi a boy or girl deer, the answer is a boy deer. And boy deers are called fawn in the earlier stage, and later they will be called a buck, stag, bull, or hart.