Whitetail Deer

Whitetail Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Kingdom: Animalia

          Phylum: Chordata

                    Class: Mammalia

                              Order: Artiodactyla

                                        Family: Cervidae

                                                  Subfamily: Capreolinae

                                                            Genus: Odocoileus

                                                                      Species: virginianus

Whitetail deer have tremendous genetic variation and are extremely adaptable to several different environments.  This is due in part to two key characteristics of whitetail deer.  The first is their distinctive stomach which contains four chambers, allowing a them to feed in open, uncovered areas and store food inside their stomach before moving back into cover before digestion.  Also, they are instinctively elusive creatures and have great senses to detect predators in plenty of time to safely avoid any problem.

Deer go through a period of mating for roughly two weeks called "Rut."  During rut, male deer, or bucks, increase testosterone  levels while female deer, or does, increase estrogen levels.  This causes a high number of mating deer and increased aggressiveness throughout the buck population in a certain territory.  Scrapes, which are rubbed out circles in the ground, and Rubs, which are trees that have had the bark removed by the horns of a territorial buck, are both good signs of the rutting period.  Also, fighting, like the video above shows, is a great indication that the mating season is officially taking place. These animals are fascinating mammals and I really enjoy learning more and more about these elusive creatures.

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McMillin, J. Michael. 1974. Annual Testosterone Level in Adult Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The Endocrine Society.