1 / 13

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer. White-tailed Deer. Odocoileus virginianus – underside of tail is covered with white hair Belong to family Cervidae (includes elk, moose, and caribou) Split hoofed No incisor teeth in the front of the upper jaw. White-tailed Deer. Ruminant animals 4-chambered stomach

hetal
Download Presentation

White-tailed Deer

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. White-tailed Deer

  2. White-tailed Deer • Odocoileusvirginianus – underside of tail is covered with white hair • Belong to family Cervidae(includes elk, moose, and caribou) • Split hoofed • No incisor teeth in the front of the upper jaw

  3. White-tailed Deer • Ruminant animals • 4-chambered stomach • chew a “cud” • Males grow & shed a set of antlers yearly • 30 subspecies • In PA: northern woodland whitetail

  4. Characteristics • Average adult buck: • 140 pounds • Stands 32-34 inches at the shoulder • 70 inches long from nose to tail • Does tend to be smaller than bucks

  5. Characteristics • Fawns born with white spots for camouflage (looks like sun hitting the ground) • Hair color alike in both sexes • Varies with seasons • Melanistic: Black • Piebalds: partial albinos

  6. Senses • Colorblind • Easily alerted by movement • Good senses of smell & hearing • Usually silent

  7. Antler Growth • 1st set of antlers grows at 10 months old • If the buck comes from an area with poor food conditions, first antlers will be “spikes”(single, main beams only) • Growing antlers are covered by a skin called “velvet” • Antler cycle is influenced by secretions from the pituitary gland

  8. Social Organization • Matriarchal: doe is head of family • Most common: adult doe, her fawns & her yearling female offspring

  9. Reproduction • Mating season (rut) begins in September and can last into January • Reaches its peak in early November • Age and health of a doe influence her reproductive capacity • Adult females usually produce twins • Tendency for young females to produce more males

  10. Food Habits • Herbivores • Preferences depend on availability in area and time of year

  11. Habitat • Forest • Provides concealment and food • Brush is most efficiently created by clearcutting • Cutting all trees larger than saplings

  12. History • Were used extensively by Native Americans for food and clothing • Population brought to record low by late 1800’s due to extensive clearing of land, unregulated hunting, and loss of habitat • Population has rebounded dramatically due to changing land uses, strict game laws, and a lack of large natural predators

  13. Management • Overpopulation • Strips the habitat of life-supporting qualities (for many species) • Crop/landscaping damage • Vehicle collisions • Controlled through harvesting female deer

More Related