White-Tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus HISTORY The white-tailed deer’s genus name Odocoileus is from the Greek words odous, meaning tooth, and koilos, meaning hollow; this refers to the hollow teeth of the deer. The whitetailed deer can be found in southern Canada and most of the United States, except for the southwest, Alaska and Hawaii. The American Indians viewed the white-tailed deer as an “animal helper,” as opposed to the dark-tailed deer, which meant “danger.” When the Cherokee traveled during harsh winter weather, they would rub their feet in warm ashes and sing a song to obtain powers from animals whose feet do not get frostbitten. One of these animals was the deer. American Indians and colonists harvested deer for food and clothing. Deer hide clothing included leggings, shawls, dresses, breechcloths, moccasins, sashes, shirts, robes, skirts, headwear and mittens. Commercial trade in deer hides eventually developed in the 1700s, and the best buckskins were sent to England, leaving the colonists with the poorest hides. People also used the deer’s muscles and tendons to make thread and string. Its bones were used to make needles, awls, hoes, digging sticks, hide scrapers, fishhooks, arrowheads, clubs, arrow straighteners, corn scrappers, cutting tools and decorative beads. Hooves were used to make glue and rattles. The deer’s fur was used for the interior of moccasins and for embroidery. Today, deer and people are living closer to each other because of human development and increased deer populations. This can cause problems for both deer and humans. This close proximity leads to a lack of food resources for deer and the tendency for deer to eat food from gardens. Deer often have to cross the road to get to food and water, which can cause sudden car accidents. People are also prone to sicknesses, such as Lyme Disease, from the deer tick.
WEB OF LIFE
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White-tailed deer are herbivores, and they browse—eat the leaves, stems and buds of wood plants. Deer also eat flowers and weeds during the spring and summer. Fruits and nuts are a dietary staple as well. Grasses are also consumed but are a less substantial part of the deer’s diet. On average, a deer eats 2 to 4 percent of its body weight each day. Deer chew their food like cows do—softening its food within the first stomach and regurgitating the cud, and chewing it again, also known as ruminating. The deer have four stomach compartments to carry out this process. Deer are also prone to disease and parasites like lice, mites and roundworms, which can weaken or kill them. Young and old deer tend to get sick and die in the winter. The winter is a dangerous time of year for the deer, as they struggle to move their pointed hooves through the snow and ice. These conditions make it easy for predators like dogs to catch them.
HABITS Deer are most active in the early morning and evening. The deer’s home range is usually less than one square mile. White-tailed deer breed between October and January, and fawns are born in May or June. It is not uncommon for female deer (does) to give birth to twins. Fawns usually weigh seven to eight pounds at birth. After birth, the mother will keep her fawn wellhidden for hours while she feeds. If she happens to have more than one fawn, she will hide them in separate places. Female fawns typically stay with their mother for two years, while males usually leave after a year. The doe and fawns usually stay in a group, unless the doe does not have fawns. In this case, female deer are solitary when roaming. Male bucks are usually in groups of three to four deer, except in mating season, when they are solitary. If the white-tailed deer is alarmed or upset, it may stomp its hooves and snort to warn other deer. Other signals include raising its tail and showing its white underside. The mother might also show the underside of her tail while running to help her fawns follow. White-tailed deer are fast runners and can reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. They are also known for leaping high and for their ability to swim.
DESCRIPTION
The white-tailed deer live in a variety of habitats but thrive best in agricultural or wooded areas. In some areas, like Tompkins County, N.Y., deer overpopulation is an issue. Gray wolves and mountain lions used to keep this population under control as the white-tailed deer’s predators, but because of hunting and human development, the wolf and mountain lion populations have greatly decreased. Other natural predators include bobcats or coyotes, but there are not enough of these to balance the deer population. Often, there are not enough resources for deer to survive, and they are left starving or hungry. Hunters help control deer populations in rural areas, but this is not possible in urban areas where hunting is often banned.
The white-tailed deer is known for its tan or brown coat in the summer and grayishbrown coat in the winter. Its other distinguishing features include the white fur on its throat, around its eyes and nose, on its stomach and on the underside of its tail. Males are recognized by their antlers, but only in the late spring to mid-winter.
Deer Trail PHOTO: DREA KASIANCHUK
Weight: Males weigh between 150 and 300 pounds, and females weigh between 90 and 200 pounds. Coat: Rust-colored with white spots at birth, spotted coat is shed in three to four months and is replaced by a grayish-brown coat for the fall and winter. Summer coats are reddish-brown. Tail, chin, belly and throat are always white. Antlers: Grow on males from April to August and are covered by a “velvet” layer while growing. This layer is shed before the fall, just in time for breeding season. Deer antlers are shed in mid-winter and grow in the following spring. Antler size varies depending on the nutrition, age and genetics of the deer. Hooves: Even-toe split hooves