Wild red deer stags - immortalised in Sir Edwin Landseer's iconic portrait Monarch of the Glen - are often cast as majestic figures, but new research suggests they can suddenly and quickly slip into old age.

A study of wild red deer in Scotland compared the ability of males and females to reproduce successfully as they aged.

The study showed that although males show the first signs of ageing slightly later than females, when old age does catch up with stags, their decline is much faster.

After around 10 years of age stags quickly become less likely to father calves. Hinds show signs of ageing sooner - from about nine years old - but they can go on calving into their late teens.

The study, by researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, also found that the signs of ageing in wild deer can be deceptively complex. Older stags appear able to maintain their antlers well into old age, but despite this they have little success during the autumn rut and father very few calves. Similarly, females which are past their prime are likely to continue breeding, but their offspring tend to be smaller and less likely to survive compared with calves born to younger females.

Scientists looked at over 40 years' worth of data about more than 1,000 deer on the Isle of Rum. The study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), supported by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and is published in the American Naturalist.

Dr Dan Nussey from the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, who led the study, said:

"Recent research suggests that wild animals show signs of deterioration in old age, just like animals in captivity and humans, but this is the first study to look in detail at the impact of ageing on breeding in wild mammals. We were surprised at how complex the picture was: not only are there big differences between males and females, but the signs of ageing emerge at different times. More work is required to understand what is driving these differences. It all shows just how complex the ageing process is."

Kristin Scott, West Highland Area manager for SNH, said:

"SNH welcomes these interesting observations on ageing from this long-standing study of many generations of deer. The researchers have used this well known population on Rum where the stags and hinds live out their lives in the relatively unspoilt and undisturbed landscape of this spectacular island national nature reserve."

This story was covered in:

THE HERALD, METRO, BBC News on-line and BBC Radio Scotland

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For more information please contact:

Dr Dan Nussey, School of Biological Sciences

Tel 0131 650 7702; Email Dan.Nussey@ed.ac.uk

Catriona Kelly, Press and PR Office,

Tel 0131 651 4401; Email Catriona.Kelly@ed.ac.uk