New research and observations about americas most popular big game animal leonard lee rue. The effects of captivity on diet and lifespan in white. It has white on its throat, around its eyes and nose, on its stomach and on the underside of its tail. The maximum life span in the wild is 20 years, but few deer live past 10 years old. Fawns are able to stand and nurse within minutes of birth. White tailed deer can run up to 28 mph and are strong swimmers. White tailed deer are herbivores and are considered concentrate selectors. Veteran nature writer ilo hiller gives the life history of the whitetailed deer in this new volume, finally offering the general public quick, easy access to facts about one of americas most familiar wild animals. Raising white tailed deer in captivity brings about significant changes to their diet. These foods basically take up much needed space in the deers stomach. Deer in captivity and deer farms deer facts and information. The whitetailed deer was designated as michigan state game mammal after the successful lobbying efforts of a group of zeeland fourth graders found in every michigan county, the whitetailed deer, odocoileus virginianus, is an important natural and economic resource. Illinois state animal whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus adopted in 1982. White tailed refers to the white underside of the deer s tail, which it displays and wags when alarmed.
With the help of over 7,000 of the worlds best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, arkive. Whitetailed deer food habits and preferences in the cross. The life span of a whitetailed deer can be from 614 years in captivity. They may live to 20 years or more in captivity, but in the wild, a white tailed deer that lives to age 10 is considered old. As a highly adaptable species, they have the same requirements as other wildlife species food, water, and cover. This listing is based on thousands of observations in deer wintering areas over many years from all parts of new york state. White tailed deer mostly depend on browse but also feed on forbs, hard and soft mast and grasses. A long nose gives them a long olfactory system, sixty times as many olfactory sensors than humans. The issue of deer being placed in captivity or at deer farms continues to be a huge issue. The average life span for wild whitetailed deer is 4. Whitetailed deer is a highlyinformative and wonderful book for everyone who is either familiar with or wants to learn about the whitetailed deer. Early oligocenerecent pre o s d c p t j k pg n images of a few members of the family cervidae clockwise from top left consisting of the red deer, the sika deer, the barasingha, the reindeer, and the whitetailed deer. Deer generally eat the leafy parts of plants, shrubs and trees during these seasons. Deer eat about two pounds of dry food each day for every 100 pounds of body weight.
The book covers the evolutionary history of the species, its anatomy, physiology, and nutrition, population dynamics, and ecology across its vast range from central canada through northern south america. Nutrition has been shown to play an important role in survival and reproduction of white tailed deer. Whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus natureworks. Winner of the wildlife society outstanding edited book award for 20. Give your pet deer oak acorns when they become available at the end of summer and early fall.
Whitetailed deer have superior senses and can detect the slightest danger. Deer like to live on the edges of woods and brushy places. The effects of age, season, and gender on live body weights, lipogenesis and lipolysis in subcutaneous and perirenal adipose tissues, and weight and fat ether extract concentrations of skeletal muscles and viscera were studied in 48 captive whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus fed a complete diet ad libitum. They are exclusively herbivorous and tend to be found alone or in small, sexspecific groups in spring and summer, larger mixedsex groups during the fall. The whitetailed deer is tan or brown in the summer and grayish brown in winter. As you can probably guess, whitetailed deer are not carnivores. With whitetailed deer hunting a favorite outdoor pastime for many missourians, forest landowners are interested in improving their property for deer habitat. The annual diet of whitetailed deer was composed of 42 species from 23 botanical families. His work has appeared in the medical journal the lancet, as well as highlights for children magazine. Whitetailed deer are herbivores and are considered concentrate selectors.
The whitetailed deer get its name from the long white hair on the underside of the tail and rump. I grew up in deer country many years ago and found that this book brought back many good memories and also refreshed my mind regarding this beautiful animal. Whitetailed deer browse preferences for south texas and. In this book hiller offers enlightening information on the animals distribution, its habitat and food, physical characteristics, reproduction, social behavior, and general life cycle. Whitetailed deer are primarily crepuscular, browsing mainly at dawn and dusk. Michigan state game mammal whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus adopted in 1997. You can read more of his work at or by picking up a copy of his book shady characters. The most represented families in the diet of this deer were fagaceae, asteraceae, ericaceae and fabaceae.
In his book wildlife savvy,2 author leonard lee rue iii cites the case of a buck that was seen frequently on a farm, but disappeared during the hunting season. Plant vampires, caterpillar soup, leprechaun trees and other hilarities of the natural world. Whitetailed deer mostly depend on browse but also feed on forbs, hard and soft mast and grasses. Whitetailed deer management and habitat improvement steve bartylla. Deer are mediumsized hoofed mammals and are part of the same family as north american elk cervus elpahus, moose alces alces, and caribou rangifer tarandus. They provide the correct nutrition for growth and longevity. Size of antlers is dependent on the food supply and age of deer. Dietary husbandry of captive whitetailed deer odocoileus. It has tan fur with white on its throat, on its belly and under its tail. Since deer eat different types of foods, the possibility of them eating indigestible food is high. These gentle herbivorous animals consume leaves, fruits, twigs, grass and acorns.
In many countries, deer are held in trusts and safe parks for their benefit and our own. Whitetailed deer sprint up to 35 miles per hour and are able to leap over 8 foot tall barriers. There were significant differences in the alpha diversity of the diet during the wet and dry seasons h2. The whitetailed deer were also brought over to europe and new zealand the whitetailed deer is normally between around 57 and 7 kilograms 125 to 301 pounds in weight. Pdf biology and management of white tailed deer download. Many fawns will also be killed by predators and hunters. Regardless of diet, proteins are essential to the deers diet. Their diet includes many different types of vegetation and varies greatly with the seasons and the region in which they inhabit. In fact, the whitetailed deers diet changes based on what kinds of foods are present in. Whitetailed deer, odocoileus virginianus, also called virginia deer, common american deer of the family cervidae order artiodactyla that covers a huge range from the arctic circle in western canada to 18 degrees south of the equator in peru and bolivia. Just like humans, whitetail deer need a wellrounded diet throughout the year. Eyes on the side of their head give them a wide range of vision, up to 310 degrees, to pick up the slightest movements. Whitetailed deer are herbivores, leisurely grazing on most available plant foods.
Whitetailed deer simple english wikipedia, the free. Deer are fast runners reaching speeds up to 35 mph and can jump more than 8 feet. The state animal was selected by a vote of illinois schoolchildren in 1980. Biology and management of whitetailed deer organizes and presents information on the most studied large mammal species in the world.
Males weigh between 150 and 300 pounds and females weigh between 90 and 200 pounds. Annual whitetailed deer diet across four locations in the texas hill country. It turned out to be hiding in a root cellar by day. This study seeks to determine the effects of captivity on diet and health in. Their stomachs allow them to digest a varied diet, including leaves, twigs, fruits and nuts, grass, corn, alfalfa. Heavy consumption of plants in the low and least used preference categories suggests an overpopulation of browsing animals and a deterioration of the habitat. White tailed deer odocoileus virginianus born and raised in captivity live, on average, three times longer than wild populations. Adults have a bright reddish brown coat in the summer and in the winter it is a duller grayish brown. In addition to mast fruit, acorns, beechnuts and browse, herbaceous plants and fungi make up the greatest portion of their food. Feed your pet deer clover, lettuce and corn during the spring and summer. Whitetailed deer winter diet naturally curious with. Paul hetzler has been an isa certified arborist since 1996.
Whitetailed deer this is a useful site for more information about white tailed deer whitetailed deerodocoileus virginianus this site has very nice pictures and has very useful scientific information about white tailed deer the whitetailed deer this site has many fun facts about white tailed deer whitetailed deer diagram of white tailed deer. Wildscreen s arkive project was launched in 2003 and grew to become the worlds biggest encyclopaedia of life on earth. What do whitetailed deer require to survive and thrive. The diet of a wild deer includes such things as grass, bark, twigs, berries, young shoots and other vegetation. In captivity, a whitetail can live up to twenty years. In the wild, the majority of deer dont make it to that age because of disease, hunting and automobile collisions. It is illegal for people to hold or confine deer without. Weights vary considerably, but an average adult male weighs 175 pounds while a female weighs about 120 pounds. In captivity deer have been known to reach 30 years of age. The whitetailed deers distinctive white tail and white rump patch is readily visible when they bound away from real or perceived danger. The whitetailed deer, also called the virginia deer or whitetail, is named for the white underside of its tail which is visible when it holds its tail erect when it runs.
Funding for this publication was made possible by the texas parks and wildlife foundation and texas parks and wildlife department. Pick clover and oak leaves and mix them with lettuce. Winner of a choice outstanding academic title award for 2011. During different seasons, the nutritional requirements of bucks, does and fawns will vary slightly, but all three need water, protein, energy fats and carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and fiber. Seasonal crude protein and digestibility levels in some south texas. Dirk huds has been a writereditor for over six years. From the whitetailed deer to sambar deer, these gentle and majestic creatures are wild animals that belong to no individual. The diet of whitetailed deer varies with the seasons, but in general deer require a highquality diet and tend to choose the most nutritious options available. Deer traditional animal foods of indigenous peoples of. This area, referred to here as the serving tame deer on a leash. These deer are free to roam but they do interact with humans and come back to central locations often for food and socialization.
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