Which Deer Species Can Interbreed and Produce Hybrids

Different species within the same genus of deer can sometimes interbreed and produce offspring. Interbreeding between different deer species is often restricted due to factors like genetic differences, geographical isolation, mating behaviors, and breeding seasons that don’t align. While some hybrids might be fertile, others could be sterile or have reduced fertility, limiting the potential for ongoing interbreeding between species.

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While researching this topic, we've come across this serious overview of the interbreeding cases, and decided to present the results in this comprehensive table. Please refer to the source article for in-depth explanation of cases.

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) and Sika Deer (Cervus nippon): They can interbreed and produce viable offspring called "hybrids."

There's a probable occurrence of interbreeding between Sika and Red Deer species whenever they come into contact. Even isolated Red Deer populations face a risk due to the extensive roaming of Sika stags. In the wild, both Red and Sika populations have the potential to create mixed populations. The interbreeding process leads to changes in weight, possibly resulting in increased similarity in size, which could promote further interbreeding between the two species. [source]

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) and Elk (Cervus canadensis): In some cases, they have produced hybrids in captive settings, see Ken Drew, 'Deer and deer farming - Breeding', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

European Fallow Deer (Dama Dama) and Mesopotamian Fallow Deer (Dama Mesopotamica) are different subspecies belong to the same species, so they can hybridise freely and produce fully fertile offspring. So far there's no reports of hybridisation of Fallow Deer with any other species. [Source]