Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae, and in many places they are the largest wildlife that people encounter. Their aesthetic beauty is appreciated and admired, although their fondness for garden and landscape plants tries some peoples’ patience. Typically, deer feed in open habitats such as meadows and clearcuts, retreating to more secure areas, such as thickets and closed canopy forests, to rest and chew their cud. Deer are a type of mammal known as an ungulate, meaning they walk on their toes, or "Hooves". One unique characteristic of the deer family is their antlers. While horns remain permanently affixed to the skull, antlers are shed every year. Although deer may be active at any time of day, they are most active near dawn and dusk (a pattern of activity called “crepuscular”).