The tragelaphus appears in only a few encyclopedias and fewer bestiaries. It is described as being like a stag but having a hairy front like a goat and a luxurious beard. It has multiple branched horns on its head. They can only be found around the Pharsis River on the Black Sea.

The tragelaphus is sometimes identified as the reindeer, though the name (reynder) only appears in one manuscript (Yale Center for British Art, HHB, folio 20v), where the name tragelaphus does not appear. The identification of the tragelaphus with the reindeer should be considered dubious.