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Even if you don't know what they are, chances are you've seen a whitetail deer sometime in your life. They are the most common and widespread deer species in the world. Their population in North America alone is between 20 and 25 million.
The whitetail deer gets its name from the cotton-white colored fur on their tail and rear end. When spooked or threatened, they will raise their tail and run, showing off their white as an alarm.
Like all other species of deer, the whitetail is a herbivore, meaning they only consume plants. Their diet will change depending on the food that's available to them in their environment, but typically consists of grass, plants, acorns, fruit, and corn.
The stomach of whitetail is similar to a cow in the sense that it has multiple chambers for digestion. For example, when a whitetail consumes and swallows some acorns, they will go to first chamber where enzymes will begin to break down the food before going to the next where they'll be broken down even more until reaching the fourth chamber where the actual digestion takes place.
If a whitetail remains healthy, they can live 11 to 13 years on average. They do have several predators that actively hunt them out, though. Some of which are coyotes, bobcats, wolves, mountain lions, bears, and humans. Their natural defense mechanism is make grunting sounds, stomp with hooves, and if nothing else works, run away.
When a female (doe) is pregnant, she will give birth to 1 to 3 baby deer (fawns). Fawns are able to walk at birth and usually have brown with white spotted fur that allows them to blend into their environment better.
Male deer (known as bucks) grow antlers from the base of their skull each year. Bucks use these antlers to show their strength when they battle other bucks during the mating season. After the mating season is over, the bucks testosterone level will drop much, causing them to shed their antlers. When spring comes back around, they will begin to grow new antlers that are typically larger and more complex than the ones that were already shed.
Something not many people know is that deer cause more human deaths than any other animal. This is mainly due to automobile accidents involving them. While it may seem inhumane to some, hunting is a great way to help regulate their population and lower the deaths and crop damage caused by them.
Whitetail deer are simply beautiful creatures and it's important for us to always understand and respect them. Nearly a century ago, they were on the verge of extinction, but with conservation efforts their population has skyrocketed. Let's take care of our world and all the creatures in it.
Find out more about the the whitetail deer by visiting our website. We also have a large selection of deer antlers for sale available.
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