With the alias of reindeer, it belongs to the Cervidae family of Artiodactyla order. Its scientific name is Elaphurus davidianus (Latin), or Milu (English).       

Its body length is about 150 centimeters with shoulder height of about 115 centimeters, and tail length of about 50 centimeters. Its body weight is between 150 to 200 kilograms. Tail is particularly long, with long hair on the tail end. In winter it is beige, and in summer it is russet.

It inhabits in everglade or reed terra of the plain. Moving about in groups, it feeds on green grass and hydrophyte. Its breeding time is between June and August, followed by oestrus. The gestation period lasts 250 to 270 days, and littering is usually between April and May the next year, with one or two babies per fetus. It grows to sexual maturity at the age of 2 to 3. Under breeding condition, it has a lifespan of about 20 to 25 years.

The wild population originally produced in eastern coastal plain region of China has been extinct. The population in Beijing and in the elk protection zone of Dafeng County of Jiangsu Province has raised from 38 in 1985 to hundreds in the mid-1990s. The population, which began its fostering in 1994 in Shishou City of Hubei Province, increased to 107 heads in 1996.