: a deer (Cervus nippon) of eastern Asia that has a chestnut to brownish coat often spotted with white and that has established populations in other regions (such as Europe and the U.S.) as a result of introduction
Examples of sika in a Sentence
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In the southern reaches of Japan, the island of Yakushima boasts vast swathes of verdant forest that play host to all sorts of native mammals, with sika deer and Japanese giant flying squirrels both calling the area home.
—
Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
Among the main draws here are the roughly 1,200 wild sika deer that roam the 1,600-acre Nara Park.
—John Wogan, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The hybrids seem to be intermediate in physical appearance, tending toward the spotted coats and smaller stature of the sika deer.
—Richard Pallardy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024
Barbary sheep, mouflon sheep, blackbuck, red stag, sika and axis deer and mountain goats are among the exotic game that roam the ranch.
—Melissa Manno, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Dec. 2023
The zoo — which has three sika deer, six black bears, 10 alpacas and hundreds of monkeys and birds — doesn’t charge admission and was reliant on state funds, but hadn’t received money for six months, according to the fund.
—Laura He, CNN, 20 Sep. 2023
One study on dystocia in free-ranging sika deer says the lack of recorded instances of the complication could be a result of natural selection toward optimal birth size in does and fawns.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Sep. 2023
More recent excavations of Bo’s tomb yielded golden eagles, sika deer and rhesus monkeys.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
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Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
Among the main draws here are the roughly 1,200 wild sika deer that roam the 1,600-acre Nara Park.
—John Wogan, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The hybrids seem to be intermediate in physical appearance, tending toward the spotted coats and smaller stature of the sika deer.
—Richard Pallardy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024
Barbary sheep, mouflon sheep, blackbuck, red stag, sika and axis deer and mountain goats are among the exotic game that roam the ranch.
—Melissa Manno, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Dec. 2023
The zoo — which has three sika deer, six black bears, 10 alpacas and hundreds of monkeys and birds — doesn’t charge admission and was reliant on state funds, but hadn’t received money for six months, according to the fund.
—Laura He, CNN, 20 Sep. 2023
One study on dystocia in free-ranging sika deer says the lack of recorded instances of the complication could be a result of natural selection toward optimal birth size in does and fawns.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Sep. 2023
More recent excavations of Bo’s tomb yielded golden eagles, sika deer and rhesus monkeys.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Sika.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sika. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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