Mule Deer have large ears that move independently and almost constantly, like a mule’s. Primarily active in morning, evening, and on moonlit nights, this deer may also be seen at midday in winter. The Mule Deer has a stiff-legged bounding gait, with back legs and front legs moving together. It is also a good swimmer. In mountainous areas, the animal migrates up and down seasonally to avoid heavy snows. Its summer forage is chiefly herbaceous plants, but also blackberry, huckleberry, salal, and thimbleberry; winter browse includes twigs of Douglas fir, cedar, yew, aspen, willow, dogwood, serviceberry, juniper, and sage. This deer also eats acorns and apples.
Mule Deer often form herds of both sexes in winter, but herds are seldom large. The usual social group consists of a doe with her fawn or a doe with twin fawns and a pair of yearlings.
A medium-size deer. Stocky body, with long, slim, sturdy legs. In summer, reddish brown or yellowish brown above; in winter, grayish above. Throat patch, rump patch, insides of ears, and insides of legs are white; lower parts cream to tan. Large ears. Buck’s antlers are branched equally, each a separate beam forking into 2 tines; antler spread to 4’ (1.2 m). 2 major types: Mule Deer, the more common, has tail white above and tipped with black. "Black-tailed Deer," found only along Pacific Coast, has tail blackish or brown above. Juvenile spotted. Ht 3’–3’5" (90–105 cm); L 3’10"–7’6" (1.16–1.99 m); T 4 1/2–9" (11.4–23 cm); E 4 3/4–6" (12–15 cm); Wt male 110–475 lb (50–215 kg), female 70–160 lb (32–73 kg).
Common Name: White-tailed Deer
Genus Species: Odocoileus virginianis
The white-tailed deer is tan or brown in the summer and grayish brown in winter. It has white on its throat, around its eyes and nose, on its stomach and on the underside of its tail. The male has antlers. Males weigh between 150 and 300 pounds and females weigh between 90 and 200 pounds.
A deer's home range is usually less than a square mile. Deer collect in family groups of a mother and her fawns. Bucks may live in groups of two or three individuals, except in mating season when they are solitary.
White-tails live in wooded areas even in urban areas.Because there are no natural predators, overpopulation can become a problem. In rural areas, population can be controlled through regulated hunting but in urban areas they can get out of control and disease may decimate the population.
White- tails are herbivores (plant eaters). They used regular trails between feeding, watering and bedding areas. Their diet changes according to the habitat and time of year.They can even browse on woody plants that other animals can't digest.
Whitetails mate in November in this part of their range. One to three fawns are born after about six months.
Fawns are reddish-brown at birth with white spots that help camouflage them. They can walk at birth and forage for food a couple of days later. They are weaned at about six weeks.
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