White Tail Deer

Introduction

The scientific name of the white tailed deer also known as whitetail is Odocoileus virginianus. The deer is the phylum chordata,class mammalia and in the family of cervidae. The deer is brown during summer times while it changes to grey brown during winter. It has white color in some of its body parts including the stomach, tail, neck and even around its nose. Male whitetails usually have antlers and thus cannot be confused to be females. Therefore this paper will discuss the whitetails, describing them, their reproduction cycle, habitat, range and their diets.

Species description

The male whitetails weigh more compared to the females since males weigh even up to 300 pounds while females go up to 200 pounds (Hansen et al, 2015). The whitetails are the smallest members of the North American deer families and are mainly from south Canada and southern part of America. During summer time, they look for new habits in the coniferous since they need shade and the coniferous suit best because of the large branches. In addition, during winters they look for coniferous since the forests prevent them from suffering the harsh weather conditions that come with winter (Hansen, 2013). The animals are herbivores thus feed on green plants, herbs and woody plants. The animals are usually confused with the black tailed deer but at close range one cannot confuse them since they are white tailed and smaller in size.

Reproduction/breeding/life cycle

The deer are known to reproduce quickly since a healthy and fertile herd can double within a given year if the conditions are favorable. The mating season of the deer well known as rut is usually around October in the autumn where mature females have had good food since reproduction is not possible without favorable conditions such as good weather and enough food (Hansen, 2013). Reproduction too depends on the population density thus young female deer move away from the males during this period. The average maturity period of female deer is roughly 18 months where copulation takes place which is mainly an ejaculation power which takes place within the shortest time possible (Hansen, 2013). After the copulation period females stay for period of roughly eight months before giving birth to young deer mainly known as fawns. The fawns usually have spots which they lose as they grow and weight over 35kg during this winter periods. During this time, the male fawns usually have higher weighs compared to the female ones (Hansen, 2013). During the first four weeks, the fawns lie in the forest vegetations while the mother go looking for food since the young ones are still small and vulnerable thus cannot go searching for food (Bestul, 2016). After some weeks they follow their mothers in the search for food so that they can learn tactics and the type of foods most suitable for them. The young ones wean for about 10 weeks though some prolong those periods depending on their mothers since some mothers nurse their young ones even after the spots are no longer present (Hansen, 2013). Lacks of spots indicate that the fawns are no longer young ones but have now grown. Males take one year to leave their mothers while the females stay with their mothers even up to two years. The males are mature when there are 1.5 years old and thus continue with the breeding process.

Habitat

The whitetails live in the wooded places or areas where overpopulation of these animals has been a key problem. The people have hunted down their predators mainly the wolves and lions that controlled their populations in the Northern part of America (Piccolo et al, 2010). The main predators currently include people, boy cats and dogs which often kill the deer. The population of the deer is on the rise since there are no many natural predators to control the population of the deer. Many deer often starve to death since the environment cannot support the large populations of the deer since food and water are scarce compared to the rising population. In most rural areas hunting of the deer is not prohibited unlike in the urban areas where it is prohibited therefore making deer population remain out of control (Piccolo et al, 2010). Often diseases and pests kill deer and this happens especially during winter. Winter is the most uncomfortable and unfavorable time for the deer and most succumb to the illnesses that come with this season. Currently humans and deer are sharing similar habits since people have developed and reached to their habitat which is causing human wildlife conflicts. People have over developed and this makes the deer to interfere with the human development where they walk into gardens and get food since their vegetation has been cleared (Piccolo et al, 2010). The problem of the deer is becoming a major problem since as the human population is increasing, the deer population too is increasing but the environment remains constant.

Range and diet

The deer is found in the southern part of Canada and in the United States apart from in Alaska and Hawaii. The home range of a deer is usually not more than 1 square meter where male bucks live together in groups of three except during the mating season where each buck stays in solitary (Stegemann, 2002). The mothers and fawns live together in a herd where they move together and search for food together. The whitetails are herbivorous in nature and feed exclusively on plants. The whitetails are known to feed in the morning and later in the afternoon. The whitetail diet may change depending on the season and the habitat at that time whereby during summer, the deer feeds on green plants. During summer the deer feeds on nuts and corns while during winter it feeds on woody plants especially the twigs since there are no green plants and herbs present (Stegemann, 2002). The whitetails are ruminants meaning that their stomachs are divided into four parts that assist them during digestion. This digestive system ensures that whitetails consume plants such as the woody twigs which other plants can fail to digest. The deer population is favored by availability of enough food, water and good climate since all these are the factors that ensure the population keeps rising.

Conclusion

The whitetails as discussed above are easily available animals since their population is annually increasing. The deer is a fast runner and thus able to move to different places. In addition the deer is a good leaper and a good swimmer too thus it is advantaged against the predators that do not posses such characteristics and behaviors. The deer often alarms other deer of impending danger mostly by stomping its wolves. The deer can raise its tail as another sign of warning the others which is the most strategy used by mothers to warn their fawns so that they can run and follow them. Therefore the animal is special and has special characteristics that are not present in many animals. Learning about this animal will ensure that people take good care of this species to prevent it from becoming extinct.

 

 

 

References

Hansen, T., Kenyon, M., & Robinson, A. (2015). White Tail Management. (Cover story). Outdoor Life, 222(4), 57.

Bestul, S. (2016). Seven BEST DAYS of The Rut. Field & Stream, 121(6), 39-50.

Piccolo, B. P., Van Deelen, T. R., Hollis-Etter, K., Etter, D. R., Warner, R. E., & Anchor, C. (2010). Behavior and survival of white-tailed deer neonates in two suburban forest preserves. Canadian Journal Of Zoology, 88(5), 487-495. doi:10.1139/Z10-026

Hansen, T. (2013). White-Tail Variations. Midwest Quarterly, 54(2), 159-161.

Stegemann, E. (2002). White-Tailed DEER. New York State Conservationist, 57(2), 15-18.