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White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
35.9269, -79.0386
Field Notes
Description:
This deer's coat is a reddish-brown in the spring and summer and turns to a thicker grey-brown throughout the fall and winter. These deer can be recognized by the characteristic white underside of the tail, which they show as an alarm signal by raising it as they run away. They also stamp their feet and snort to warn of danger. Whitetail deer eat large varieties of food, including legumes and other plants, including shoots, leaves, cacti, and grasses. They also eat acorns, fruit, corn and bird seed. Their special stomach allows them to eat some things that humans cannot, such as mushrooms and Red Sumac that are poisonous to humans. Their diet varies by season according to availability of food sources.
Habitat:
This deer is native to the United States (all but five of the states), Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru. It has also been introduced to New Zealand and some countries in Europe, such as Finland, Czech Republic, and Serbia.
Notes:
Part of a deer family that has been visiting my yard for five years now. The first three photos are of the doe I know best; the fourth is her first daughter and the last shows the daughter grooming another young doe.
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