This week’s Animal of the Week is the White-Tailed Deer, one of the most recognizable mammals in North America. Known for its graceful movements, large ears, soft brown coat and famous white tail, this deer is often seen near forests, fields, backyards, roadsides and farmland.
When startled, a white-tailed deer raises its tail like a bright white warning flag. That flashing tail helps alert other deer that danger may be nearby. White-tailed deer are adaptable, alert and surprisingly athletic animals that play an important role in many ecosystems.
Quick Facts
Animal: White-Tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Animal Type: Mammal
Family: Cervidae
Diet: Herbivore
Body Support: Endoskeleton
Group Name: Herd
Newborn Weight: About 4 to 8 pounds Average Size: About 6 to 7.75 feet long and 3 foot shoulder height approximately
Average Doe Weight: About 80 to 160 pounds
Average Buck Weight: Around 110 to 300 pounds, though size varies by region
Average Lifespan: Around 4 to 6 years in the wild, though some may live longer; a 10-year-old wild deer is considered old
Habitat: Forest edges, woodlands, fields, brushy areas, wetlands, farmland and suburban areas
Range: Southern Canada, most of the United States, Central America and parts of South America
Conservation Status: Least Concern, with a stable overall population trend
Mating Season: Usually fall into early winter, often called the rut
Babies: Baby deer are called fawns
Social Life: Often solitary or in small groups, with does and fawns forming the main social unit
What Makes Them Special
White-tailed deer are built for survival. They have excellent hearing, strong eyesight and an especially powerful sense of smell. Their large ears can rotate to pick up sounds and their nose helps them detect predators before they are seen.
They are also incredible athletes. White-tailed deer can run up to about 30 to 35 miles per hour and leap over high obstacles when escaping danger. They are also good swimmers and may enter water to avoid predators, insects or reach safer areas.
One of their most famous features is the white underside of their tail. When alarmed, they raise it while bounding away, creating a bright warning signal that other deer can notice.
Habitat
White-tailed deer are extremely adaptable. They can live in forests, swamps, brushlands, farmlands, open fields and even suburban neighborhoods. They often do well in “edge habitat,” where wooded cover meets open feeding areas. These edge areas give deer both food and protection.
In summer, they may use fields, meadows and forest edges. In winter, especially in colder regions, they often move into thicker forests or conifer stands that provide shelter from wind and snow.
Diet
White-tailed deer are herbivores, but they are not picky eaters. Their diet changes depending on the season and what is available.
They may eat:
Leaves
Twigs
Buds
Grasses
Acorns
Berries
Mushrooms
Fruits
Nuts
Crops such as corn or soybeans
Garden plants and shrubs
White-tailed deer are ruminants, meaning they have a specialized four-chambered stomach that helps them digest tough plant material. They often feed most actively around dawn and dusk.
Behavior
White-tailed deer are alert, cautious animals. They are most active during early morning and evening, which is called crepuscular behavior. During the day, they may rest in sheltered areas with good cover.
When frightened, they may snort, stomp, raise their tail and bound away. Their running style is sometimes called “flagging” because the raised white tail flashes as they flee.
They also communicate through scent. White-tailed deer have scent glands on their legs and feet, and these scents become especially important during the breeding season.
Social Life
White-tailed deer are not always found in large herds. Their social life changes by season, sex, age and habitat.
Does often stay with their fawns, forming the most important social group. Young females may remain near their mothers longer, while young males usually leave earlier. Bucks may form small bachelor groups in summer, but these groups break apart before the mating season.
During winter, deer may gather in groups where food and shelter are available. In areas with heavy snow, grouping together in sheltered wintering areas can help them conserve energy.
Mating
White-tailed deer mating season is called the rut. It usually happens in fall to early winter. During this time, bucks become more active and may compete with one another for access to does.
Male deer, called bucks, grow antlers each year. These antlers are made of true bone and are used to display strength, establish dominance and spar with other males during breeding season. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers every year.
White-tailed deer are polygamous, meaning one buck may mate with multiple does during the breeding season.
Babies
Baby white-tailed deer are called fawns.
Fawns are usually born in May or June after a gestation period of about 200 days. A young doe often has one fawn, while mature, healthy does commonly have twins. Occasionally, triplets can occur.
Newborn fawns are reddish-brown with white spots. These spots help them blend into sunlight and shadows on the forest floor. For the first couple of weeks, fawns often lie very still while their mother stays away for long periods. This is normal behavior. The doe returns to nurse and groom them, but staying away helps avoid drawing predators to the fawn.
A fawn that is lying quietly alone is usually not abandoned.
Conservation Status
White-tailed deer are currently listed as Least Concern overall and their population trend is considered stable. However, this does not mean every local population is the same. Some areas have very high deer numbers, while certain subspecies or local populations may face pressure from habitat loss, disease, road collisions or other human-related problems.
White-tailed deer were once heavily reduced in many parts of the United States because of overhunting, but hunting regulations and wildlife management helped many populations recover.
How You Can Help
Drive carefully, especially at dawn, dusk and during fall mating season.
Do not approach or “rescue” a fawn unless it is clearly injured or in immediate danger. Contact a Rehabber first and follow their instructions.
Avoid feeding wild deer, especially in winter, because sudden diet changes can harm their digestion.
Plant native vegetation when possible to support a healthy ecosystem.
Keep dogs leashed or supervised in areas where deer and fawns may be present.
Support responsible habitat conservation and wildlife management programs.
Final Fun Fact
A white-tailed deer’s antlers are one of the fastest-growing types of bone in the animal kingdom. Bucks grow a new set every year, and while the antlers are growing, they are covered in a soft, blood-rich layer called velvet.
Sources
National Geographic — White-Tailed Deer overview, size, diet, breeding and conservation status. White-Tailed Deer | National Geographic
Animal Diversity Web — Odocoileus virginianus range, habitat, physical traits, social behavior, diet and ecosystem role.Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) | INFORMATION | Animal Diversity Web
Maryland Department of Natural Resources — White-tailed deer biology, habitat, diet, reproduction, fawns and antlers.White-tailed Deer Biology
SUNY ESF Adirondack Ecological Center — White-tailed deer reproduction, fawn behavior, running ability, and communication. White-tailed Deer
MassWildlife — average doe and buck weights; fawn weight; fawn behavior. White-tailed Deer: Mammals: Species Information: Wildlife: Fish & Wildlife: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission — buck and doe weight ranges. open
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife — northern buck weights and newborn fawn weight range.White-tailed Deer: Mammals: Species Information: Wildlife: Fish & Wildlife: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Maryland DNR / Missouri Extension — fawns are less than 1 year old; yearlings are commonly classified around 1½ years old.report layout 13-14.indd