White-tailed Deer
| Class: Mammalia:
Mammals |
Diet: Grasses, weeds,
shrubs, twigs, fungi, nuts, and lichens |
| Order:
Artiodactyla: Even-toed Ungulates |
| Size: body:
1.5 - 2 m (5 - 6 1/2 ft), tail: up to 28 cm (11 in) |
| Family: Cervidae:
Deer |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name:
Odocoileus virginianus |
Habitat: forest,
swamps, open brushland |
| Range:
Southern Canada, USA, Central and South America to Peru and Brazil |
 One
of the most adaptable animals in the world, the white-tailed deer is found
from near-arctic regions to the tropics. Its adaptability is reflected
in its feeding habits: it browses and grazes on many kinds of grasses,
weeds, shrubs, twigs, fungi, nuts and lichens. A slender, sprightly creature,
the white-tailed deer has a long tail, white on its underside, a white
band across its nose and a white patch on the throat. White-tailed deer
are shy, elusive animals and do not usually congregate in large herds;
in severe winter weather, however, they may congregate in a group in a
sheltered spot out of the wind. It is not certain whether or not males
are polygamous, but in the breeding season, they engage in savage battles
over mates. The gestation period is 6 1/2 to 7 months; young females usually
produce only a single offspring, but older females may have litters of
2 or 3. Young are able to walk immediately and are suckled for about 4
months.
  
|
