| White-tailed Deer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Common Name | Whitetail |
| Range | United States |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Artiodactyla |
| Family | Cervidae |
| Genus | Odocoileus |
| Species | Odocoileus virginianus |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
The White-tailed Deer is a species from the Odocoileus genus.
Taxonomy[]
Appearance[]
The deer's coat is a reddish-brown in the spring and summer and turns to a grey-brown throughout the fall and winter. The deer can be recognized by the characteristic white underside to its tail, which it shows as a signal of alarm by raising the tail during escape. There is a population of white-tailed deer in the state of New York that is entirely white (except for areas like their noses and toes)—not albino—in color. The former Seneca Army Depot in Romulus, New York, has the largest known concentration of white deer. Strong conservation efforts have allowed white deer to thrive within the confines of the depot.
Behavior[]
White-tailed deer don't live in herds. A typical group of White-tails include an adult female, and two offspring. Males are either solitary, in the case of mature stags, or in a small bachelor group. In these bachelor herds, a hierarchy is established by fighting. They fight by posturing and flailing with their feet. Deer are most active at dawn and dusk. They stay with an area with food, shelter, and water. The deer are always alert and rely on their 36 mph speed to escape danger.
Diet[]
A key to the White-tailed deer's range is the ability to eat a range of food. This diet includes grasses, leaves, shoots, and berries.
Lifespan[]
White- tailed deer can live up to 10-20 years in the wild.
Gallery[]
Facts[]
- Sewn and inflated white-tailed deer skin have been used as life jackets at times.
- White-tailed deer can get "drunk" on fallen fruit that have been partially fermented.
- Most wild white-tailed deer live to about two or three years old, and most adults don’t make it past 10. On the other hand, deer held in captivity can live up to three times longer than their wild counterparts, something scientists believe has to do specifically with the difference in diet. Not only do captive white-tailed deer deal with significantly less stress because they aren’t required to find their own food, but studies have found that their diets contain more protein and less carbon.