White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Population, Conservation Status, Threats:

White-tailed deer are widespread across the US and Canada, and considered least concern by the IUCN. Ironically, some of their biggest threats come from overpopulation and the potential for rapid spread of disease that comes with it. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion disease of increasing concern, as dense populations of white-tailed deer are vulnerable to its spread.

Physical Description:

White-tailed deer are born spotted, but are solid tan to gray-brown as adults. Only males develop antlers, and only for the breeding season, shedding them in late winter. When fleeing, white-tailed deer will flip and wag their tails, showing off the bushy white underside that earned their name, in a behavior similar to that of cottontail rabbits.

Colorado white-tailed deer range from the Colorado Division of Wildlife. White-tailed deer are found only in the eastern portion of the state.

Habitat:

White-tailed deer are generalists, able to live in any habitat that provides sufficient browse. They are most densely populated in the Eastern United States, where their habitat can range from wooded hills to cropland. In Colorado, they tend to inhabit the lower, flatter parts of the state, and are a common grassland and riparian animal.

Behavior:

Tend to group into small herds dependent on sex and age. Outside of the mating season, all-male bachelor herds will form, while female deer and their offspring will form small familial herds. During the winter, these groups may merge to provide greater safety in numbers.

Diet:

White-tailed deer feed on a wide variety of browse, from forbs and shrubs, to grasses and agricultural crops. Overgrazing from white-tailed deer can be decimating to fragile ecosystems, and so keeping population size in check is an increasing management concern.

Reproduction:

Males grow antlers in time for the breeding season in late fall, where they are used in inter-male battles for access to females. Females produce one fawn from their first pregnancy, and then commonly produce two to three young per pregnancy afterwards.

Associated Species:

Most natural predators of white-tailed deer no longer exist in much of their range, contributing to their widespread overpopulation. Historically, mountain lions and gray wolves have both been important predators of white-tailed deer, and continue to be significant predators where their current ranges overlap with those of white-tailed deer. Ixodes scapularis, also known as the deer tick, is the primary vector of Lyme disease in North America, and frequently found parasitizing white-tailed deer.

Illustration by Willow Sedam

Sources: https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/wildlife/profiles/deer.html, https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AMALC02020, https://www.ncwildlife.org/learning/species/mammals/whitetail-deer#6328482-overview, https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/index.html

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