Overview
White-tailed deer are North America's most widely distributed and popular game species. Known for their distinctive white tail flash when alarmed.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Cervidae
- Genus
- Odocoileus
Habitat
Forests, woodlands, prairies, swamps, farmland. Highly adaptable to human-modified landscapes.
Diet
Browse on woody plants, forbs, grasses, nuts, fruits. Over 600 plant species documented.
Behavior
Social structure varies seasonally. Females form family groups, males more solitary except during rut.
Hunting
Most popular big game animal in North America. Generates billions in economic activity annually.
Conservation Status
Least Concern, some subspecies recovering from historical lows, others like Florida Keys deer endangered.
Subspecies (32)
- Oaxaca white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus oaxacensis
- Bulls Island white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus taurinsulae
- Columbian white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus leucurus
- Hilton Head Island white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus hiltonensis
- Kansas white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus macrourus
- Avery island white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus mcilhennyi
- Blackbeard Island white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus nigribarbis
- Florida white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus seminolus
- Hunting Island white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus venatorius
- Yucatan white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus yucatanensis
- Andean white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus peruvianus
- Florida coastal white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus osceola
- Acapulco white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus acapulcensis
- Carmen Mountain white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus carminis
- Central American white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus truei
- Chiapas white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus nelsoni
- Chiriqui white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus chiriquensis
- Coiba Island white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus rothschildi
- Coues' white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus couesi
- Dakota white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus dakotensis
- Key deerOdocoileus virginianus clavium
- Mexican lowland white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus thomasi
- Mexican white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus mexicanus
- Miquihuan white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus miquihuaneusis
- Northern Rocky Mountain white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus ochrourus
- Northern Veracruz white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus veraecrucis
- Northern white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus borealis
- Rainforest white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus toltecus
- Sinaloa white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus sinaloae
- South American white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus gymnotis
- Texas white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus texanus
- Virginia white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus virginianus