Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Source: http://www.whitetails.com/deer.4.html
Taxonomic Level of the Whitetail Deer:
Common Names
Characteristics
The male deer is known as the buck and the female deer is known as the doe. Color differs among the species, but generally you will find that deer are grayer in the winter and redder in the summer. White fur is located around the eyes, over the chin and throat, behind the nose, and on the upper insides of the legs and beneath the tail. The white under its tail leads to the common name "whitetail deer," which serves as a visible warning sign of danger to other deer. Deer have scent glands between the hooves on all four legs, metatarsal glands on the outside of each hind leg, and a tarsal gland on the inside of each hind leg. Scent from these glands are used for communication, especially in the breeding season. Male deer possess antlers which make them distinguishable from female deer, and are used for fighting other deer to compete for a doe during breeding season. Male deer are broader shouldered, longer and taller in body size, and overall, larger than the female deer.
Deer tracks are very distinguishable from other animals. The tracks tend to be "V" shaped, wide in the back and skinny in the front. An adult doe track is roughly 2 to 2.5 inches and an adult buck track is 3.5 to 4 inches. Deer have good eyesight, acute hearing, but rely heavily on their sense of smell to detect danger. The male deer shed their antlers once a year, usually by the end of February or early March. This allows for bucks to grow bigger and stronger horns each year. Once the horns start growing back they are covered in velvet, which supplies nutrients for the horns to grow. By fall, deer rub their horns on trees, brush, and posts to remove the velvet and reveal their new shiny horns.
Deer tend to be mostly active early in the morning and late in the evening. At birth, deer usually weigh between 5 and 8 pounds and are covered in white spots all over their body. The fawn, or newborn, loses its spots by their first winter. Once reaching the adult stage, male deer can weigh anywhere between 150 and 300 pounds; whereas, female deer usually weigh between 90 and 150 pounds. Deer from the northern part of North America, including Canada, are much bigger because of the climate; whereas deer in Florida are usually smaller. Deer reach their maturity between the ages of 5 and 7, but their health starts deteriorating after that. Also, in the more colder climates you will find that deer have their own characteristics such as; shorter snouts (also common with older age), shorter legs and body, and more body fat to keep them warm.
The top speed of deer is 35 to 40 miles per hour, and deer can jump roughly 15 to 20 feet.
Sources: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=animals.timduru.org/dirlist/deers/whitetailDeer_11-Baby-Closeup-InFlowerBush.jpg&imgrefu and Whitetails.com - Deer Tracks
Distribution
Whitetail deer roam the forest from Canada to the south states including Flordia and Mexico. Deer are not as abundent in the western part of the United States, but they do inhabit the west. The deer range extends into Mexico, Central America, to Boliva. Whitetail's inhabit the whole state of Virginia from the tide water area to Southwest Virginia. Some of the most populated counties in Virginia would be Loudoun, Giles, Montgomery, Craig, Bedford, and many others.
Other members of the deer family found in North America:
Elk
Moose
Caribou
Mule deer
Black tail
Habitat Preferences:
Whitetail deer prefer the big woods from Maine to the deep saw grass and swamps of Florida. They prefer farmlands, brushy areas, and open woods. The preferred habitat for a deer would be supportive of food, water, cover, space, and arrangement. They need a place with thickets for cover; nearby streams, rivers, or ponds for water; oaks, fruits, farm fields, crops, and green vegetation for food; and a big enough area for deer to have space. Deer basically prefer a mixed forest of moderate age and croplands adjacent to forested areas.
Subspecies:
The Northwest whitetail, Odocoileus virginian ochrous - inhabits parts of Washington, California, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Utah, and Alabama.
Carmen Mountains whitetail, Odocoileus virginian corminis - a small deer found in the Big Bend region and range is limited to the Carmen Mountains on both sides of the Grande. A lot of these deer fall within the Big Bend National Park.
Avery Island whitetail, Odocosleus virginianus mcilhennyi - these deer stretch along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. This deer is not as bulky or large as deer found in Canada.
Whitetail deer are ungulates, belonging to the family Cervidae. Actually the ancestors of our whitetail deer had five toes. Through evolution the first toe disappeared, the second and fifth toes became dew claws and the third and fourth toes became larger to form hooves.
Feeding Patterns:
Deer spend more time eating than anything else. Deer usually have well-defined trails leading to their food source and move in a single file line. Deer usually head toward the crop fields or their food source late in the evening and will spend all night eating before heading back into cover just before daylight. During the day deer will browse on acorns, grasses, and vegetation near their bedding areas. During the summer deer will feed in clover, alfalfa, and grass fields, because acorns have not yet began falling to the ground in the woods. When approaching fall and winter, deer spend a lot of their time feeding in the woods and on any leftovers in the crop fields.
Whitetail Deer Abnormalities:
One of the rare abnormalities found in whitetail deer is Albinism or Albino. A deer that is completely white in color is said to be albino. Albinism is the total absence of body pigment. The deer that is albino lacks the gene for normal coloration and it does not produce the enzyme responsible for skin, hair, and tissue coloration. Albino deer are so rare because they are easily seen by predators and hunters, therefore making them easy game. Also, the albino deer have less functional senses.
Another abnormality seen in the whitetail deer is commonly referred to as "piebald." This means the deer has patches of white hair but is normally colored. Piebalds are more commonly seen than albinos.
References:
Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Whitetails.com LLC: www.whitetails.com/tracks.html
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=animals.timduru.org/dirlist/deers/whitetaildeer_11-Baby-Closeup-InFlowerBush.jpg&imgrefu
By: Jimmy Fuller
April 8, 2004
