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| Whitetail deer are woodland animals. At Owl's Hill, their paths can be seen leading from the woods through the field to the pond and into the orchard where they snack on the apple trees. Deer eat only plants, but they eat a great variety depending upon the season, leaves, grasses, herbs, mushrooms, acorns, twigs, and bark are all part of the deer diet. Deer are amazing athletes: strong, fast and graceful. They can leap 9 feet high fences and reach speeds of 45 mph. Young deer, usually two, are born in the spring and are covered with spots for camouflage. The mother does not stay with her fawns for the first week as she does not want predators attracted by her scent. After a week, the young are able to walk and run with their mother. Male deer grow antlers new ones every year. The size of the antlers indicate how healthy the deer is and how well he has eaten, not how old he is.
There are more whitetail deer now than there were when the European settlers arrived. |
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Whitetail Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Class: Mammalia....Hair, warm blooded, drink milk form mother
Order: Artiodactyla....Even-toed hoofed mammals
Family: Cervidae... Antlers that are shed each year, chew cud
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Copyright © 2004 by Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary. All rights reserved.
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