White-tailed Deer

There are many species of deer that inhabit the Earth, one such species being the white-tailed deer, which is popular for its signature identification, the white color on the underside of its tail. The white-tailed deer, whose scientific name is Odocoileus virginianus, can be mostly found in the forests of North America, Central America and southern Canada. One can also come across this species of deer in swamps and farmlands. This deer can also be found in the Rocky Mountains and also in other countries like New Zealand, Peru, Czech Republic and Finland. Apart from its natural habitat, this deer is also found in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries.

Taxonomic Classification of White-tailed Deer

The scientific classification of this beautiful animal is given as follows:

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Sub phylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Cervidae
Sub family:	Capreolinae
Genus:	Odocoileus
Species:	O.virginianus

White-tailed Deer Facts

Popularly known as the Virginia deer, or simply the whitetail, watching this deer run with only its white tail visible is a delight to the eyes. One of the best things about this species of deer is that it can adapt very well to any terrain and this is the main reason why there are so many of them in the wild as well as in captivity. There are many amazing information about this animal, a few of which are listed below:

• Also referred to as the jumping deer, it is the smallest species of the family of North American deer. It is very shy and nervous by nature. Since it belongs to the herbivorous animal species, the diet mainly consists of shrubs, leaves, tender twigs, fruits and nuts.
• This deer lives in herds which consists of a leader, mostly a male deer or the buck, a few doe (the female deer) and the young ones or fawns. The female can give birth to 4 fawns at a time. The gestation period is about seven months. These fawns are mostly born in the spring season and in places where the climate is colder, they are born in late spring or early summer.
• The deer tends to change the color of its hide according to the season. During the summer, they have bright reddish brown coats, whereas, in winters the coats become dull gray. The fawns have a spotted coat and as they grow older the spots disappear.
• The buck can weigh up to approximately 350 pounds whereas, the doe which is the smaller version of the male, weighs approximately 130 pounds. The deer can grow up to an average height of 2 meters (or 6 feet).
• This deer is considered to be one of the fastest animals on Earth and can run at a speed of about 30 miles an hour. It can also leap up to a height of 10 feet in a single jump.
• The distinctive feature that makes the males stand out proudly is the antlers. The male species, or the bucks, grow branched antlers during the summer and shed during the winter. The antlers are used as a means of defense mechanism and also for fighting with other males for their territory during the rut or mating season.
• The white tail is raised to warn the rest of the herd against predators. The natural predators of this animal are mountain lions, coyotes, wolves and bobcats etc.
• Mostly nocturnal in nature, this animal is active from dusk to dawn.
• The life span of this deer is approximately 10 years in the wild and in captivity it can survive up to 25 years.
• This animal is popular in the United States as a game animal and its meat is relished. Due to this reason, their numbers began to diminish and the government has put a restriction on hunting to prevent this creation of nature from joining the list of endangered animals.

The white-tailed deer was on the verge of extinction, but thanks to the wildlife conservation methods, the species has been saved from being wiped out from the face of this planet.