White-tailed deer: description, lifestyle, species protection

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

The Virginian (white-tailed) deer is the most common subspecies in North America. Among other representatives of the deer species, this one is the largest. The animal is very interesting, worth a closer acquaintance.

Description

In winter, the Virginian deer wears a light gray fur coat, which becomes reddish by the summer, darker on the back. The main name of the species was due to its bright white at the bottom of the tail. Noticing the danger, the white-tailed deer rushes to run, tail up. Kindred, noticing the rushing white spot, also rush to their heels.

Change of horns, which are worn only by males, occurs after the mating season. Beautiful, crescent-shaped horns have several processes - an average of 6-7.

The size of deer is different - depending on the subspecies.

Males grazing in the very north grow up to 1-1.1 meters at the withers and weigh up to 150 kg. Females are slightly smaller and slightly lighter. Animals remaining in the southern parts of the mainland are noticeably smaller. On some islands deer live, not exceeding 60 cm at the withers. Their weight is only about 35 kg. Such a small growth is due to insular dwarfism. deer livesNorth American average about 10 years.

Habitat

White-tailed deer are found throughout the mainland and even a little further: from the southern borders of Canada to northern Brazil and Peru. This species is considered one of the most common of those that were able to adapt to different conditions. Herds of these animals can be seen in the forests of New England, in the impenetrable swamps of the Everglades, on the prairies, in the semi-deserts of Arizona and Mexico, inaccessible to humans.

In Brazil, the white-tailed deer inhabited the tugai forests, the northern slopes of the Andes and coastal shrub savannas. It is curious that the rainforests did not like the animals - they are not there at all. However, throughout South and Central America, the whitetail is much less common than in North.

The high adaptability of the species has made it a welcome guest in many regions. So, in the middle of the last century, the white-tailed deer in Finland turned out to be precisely under the introduction program. Later, having multiplied, the animals naturally settled throughout Scandinavia. Also, deer were brought to the Czech Republic and Russia. This species is one of seven brought to New Zealand for the development of hunting.

Lifestyle

In general, this animal prefers a solitary lifestyle. However, even in addition to the mating season, individuals of different sexes can form groups, albeit fragile ones. For mating, a male has enough scattered females - he does not need to create a harem.

After 200 days after the mating season, fawns are born. Most often, 1-2 babies are born, butsometimes there may be three. The coat of white-tailed deer, like many other species, is covered with white spots.

Food chain

What a deer of this species eats does not distinguish it from other ungulates: leaves, buds, herbs, berries, tree bark.

In natural conditions, there are many who want to eat whitetail meat: cougars, coyotes, wolves, jaguars, bears. In addition, a man considers white-tailed deer to be excellent prey.

Threat

Experts believe that before Europeans settled in North America, about 40 million white-tailed deer lived there. The Indians have always hunted these animals, but this did not affect the population. The colonists began to kill deer not only for meat, but also for the sake of a beautiful skin, and often just for fun.

This use of the "resource" led to the fact that by 1900 there were about 500 thousand of them left. Since that moment, a restriction on hunting has been introduced, however, even today the situation differs in different regions of the continent. In some areas, the number is almost restored, while in others the species is on the verge of extinction. In total, there are currently about 14 million individuals in the United States.

Some subspecies that previously inhabited the continent are considered almost completely destroyed and are extinct or almost extinct. On the IUCN Red List are:

• Reef deer. Inhabitant of the Florida Keys. The smallest subspecies of whitetails. Shooting in 1945 led tothat there were only 26 of them left. Measures for the protection and revival of the population have led to the fact that today their number has increased to 300 individuals. But the influx of tourists to the islands is causing concern about the population.

• Colombian white-tailed deer. Received the name in honor of the habitat - near the Columbia River (Oregon and Washington). The habitat of this subspecies is almost destroyed by man, so the number of deer has decreased to 300. By now, the Colombian whitetail is in the least danger, its number has increased to 3000.

Deer hunting is legal in most parts of the US. However, one hunter has the right to kill only one individual per season. Nevertheless, the population is declining every year, which seriously worries experts.

White-tailed deer in Russia

Today in our country there are several groups of deer in the fenced areas of the Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and Tver regions. There may be groups in Karelia and the Udmurt Republic.

Besides, reindeer brought to Finland have been entering the Leningrad region for more than 8 years. Since 2013, the species has received hunting status.

This situation makes the question of studying the species more and more urgent. The grouping of white-tailed deer is becoming larger, while the status of the species in the country has not been determined. It is required to find out as soon as possible whether it is dangerous for the local fauna, whether the country needs this type of hunting resource.

For our country, more and more relevant areissues related to the species, since an increasing number of these animals appear on the territory of Russia. What the deer eats, what habitats it prefers, what diseases are characteristic of the species. All this is important to know in order to understand whether we need this imported animal.