The White Tailed Deer -Kelli Johnson

1. The White Tailed Deer
By: Kelli Johnson
American Public University

2. The White Tailed Deer
 The white-tailed deer is a common
animal of North America. White-
tailed deer are found in the
northeast, mid-western and
western states.
 I want to research the white-tailed
deer because there is a high
population of the species in the
Northeast and I have always
enjoyed seeing them in their
natural habitat.
(Dewey, Odocoileus Virginianus Animal Diversity
Web, 2003)
Odocoileus virginianus is the common
scientific name for the white tailed deer.
Image: (Behrens, David, Young male white-tailed
deer, antlers in velvet, 2003 September)

3. The white tailed deer belong to the
mammal family called Cervidae.
The deer family first appeared 35
million years ago.
The white tailed deer obtain their food
by grazing through fields and forests.
They are Herbivores that have a varied
plant based diet that includes:
• Grass
• alfalfa
• fruits
• nuts
• leaves
• Twigs
(White-Tailed Deer)
Image: (Myers, Phil, May 30, 2003)

4.  As discussed, the white tailed deer has a plant based diet. They are
known to graze for food around dusk and dawn.
 The structure and function of the white tailed deer consists of a
specialized digestive system. The Deer has a four chambered
stomach. Each chamber has a specific use.
 The first chamber of the stomach is called the rumen.
 Basic use is for food storage. While eating and chewing their food, deer
use a process called ruminating to digest food at a later time. This is
when they eat a large amount of food at once, swallow it for storage,
and then bring it back up to chew again later.
 When the food is brought back up, it contains microorganisms. The
microorganisms holds all of the nutrition for the deer.
 The second chamber of the stomach is where the fermentation process
takes place.
 The second chamber is called the reticulum and microorganisms eat the
food that the deer has eaten.
 This process helps to break down food into simpler substances that are
then absorbed as nutrients.
(The Digestive System of a Deer)
Specialized Digestive System

5. Reproduction
 The main purpose of the buck antlers is to fight for breeding purposes.
They will fight to determine who will mate with a doe. They also use their
antlers to mark their territory on trees.
 The breeding season begins in November and usually lasts until December.
During the season the doe will usually be in heat for about 30 hours. If
conception doesn’t occur during this time, she will begin her heat cycle
after 28 days. The deer are polygamous for the most part, although, some
does are known to mate with more than one buck. The gestation period
for a fawn is about 200 days. Most does have their babies in the late Spring
or early Summer.
 The fawn usually weighs about 5lbs at birth. The does will nurse the fawn
several times a day until they are strong enough to join the heard. The
fawns are usually considered adult by the age of 18 months, but have been
known to mate by the first Fall season, at around a year old.
(Parr, The White-Tailed Deer Reproduction, 2007)

6.  The white tailed deer is a highly adaptable species.
They can adapt to most climates, warm or cold. They
can live in grasslands, prairies and plains, mountains,
and forests. Some adaptive traits of white tailed deer
have to do with the color of their coat. During winter
their coats become a dull, light grayish color to blend
with their surroundings. During summer their coats
become dark reddish color to blend in with the
summer surroundings of the forest.
(Parr, The White-Tailed Deer Habitat and Adaptation, 2007)
Adaptive Traits

7. Communication
 Communication is a key adaptive trait that they use
daily. As a species, the deer has excellent hearing and
vision to help them be on alert at all times. The deer
stand their white tails up as communication to warn
other deer of danger. In a case where they detect
danger, they are very fast moving and can reach
speeds of 30 mph and jump as high as 6 feet.
(Parr, The White-Tailed Deer Habitat and Adaptation, 2007)

8. Observation
I live on a military base in New Jersey. The
deer are very populated around the base.
There is not a great deal of traffic and
mostly wooded areas, which is an ideal
habitat for the white tailed deer. I usually
see them grazing the fields in the mornings
or evenings. You can see from my video
that the white tailed deer are a populated
species near my home. I observed at least
20 deer grazing one evening in April. The
fawn seemed to be interested in me, even
walking towards me at times. He seemed
curious and cautious. The deer all stopped
frozen to stare at me. They eventually ran
away after a few minutes, with their tails
straight up as they ran off.

9. Behrens, David (2003, September) Young male white-tailed deer, antlers in velvet, The Animal Diversity Web
(online). Retrieved from
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Odocoileus_virginianus/pictures/collections/cont
ributors/david_behrens/Whitetail8/
Dewey, T. and. (2003). Odocoileus Virginianus Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved from
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Odocoileus_virginianus/
Myers, Phil (2003, May 30) The Animal Diversity Web (online). Retrieved from
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Odocoileus_virginianus/pictures/collections/cont
ributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/Artiodactyla/fawn7810/?start=15
Parr, J. (2007, April 27). The White-Tailed Deer Habitat and Adaptation, Retrieved from
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/parr_jaco/habitat.htm
Parr, J. (2007, April 27). The White-Tailed Deer Reproduction, Retrieved from
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/parr_jaco/reproduction.htm
The Digestive System of a Deer, (n.d). Retrieved from
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~mytienne/deerms.pdf
White-tailed Deer (2012, August 30). Retrieved from Youtube.com:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUmjreuVkKA.
References