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Black Tailed Deer
Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
36.6002, -121.895
Field Notes
Description:
Black-tailed bucks; total length, 58 inches; 36 inches high at the shoulder; 6 1/2-inch tail; 8-inch ears; and 2-inch metatarsal gland. Doe: total length; 54 inches; 36 inches high at the shoulder; 6 1/2-inch tail; 7 3/4-inch ear; and 2-inch metatarsal gland. The color of the coat changes with the season, from a generally reddish-brown in summer to grayish in winter. Their weight usually varies, although the larger bucks may be over 140 pounds. The natural life span is 9 to 10 years (17 to 20 yrs. in captivity,) although many live far less since they are either hunted or killed by predators. It is believed that where heavily hunted, bucks live for only about 3 to 5 years.
Habitat:
This species thrives on the edge of the forest, as the dark forest lacks the underbrush and grasslands that the deer prefers as food, and completely open areas lack the hiding spots and the cover it prefers for harsh weather. One of the plants that black-tailed deer browse is western poison oak, despite its allergen content. This deer often is most active at dawn and dusk, and is frequently involved in collisions with automobiles.
Notes:
The black-tailed deer or black tail deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) is subspecies of the mule deer found in western North America, specifically in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California regions. It has been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain it is a subspecies of the mule deer.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Suborder: Ruminantia
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Capreolinae
Genus: Odocoileus
Species: O. hemionus
Subspecies: O. h. columbianus
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