White-tailed Deer - Species Profile
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
LC - Least Concern
NatureServe
N5 - Secure
SNR - Unranked
Minnesota
not listed
Description
The tail is wide and ends in a black tip. There is no rump patch around the tail. When the animal runs the tail stands erect.
On males the antlers develop on a main beam that grows forward. Branches on the antlers are either unbranched prongs, or prongs with minor branches. They do not split equally.
The males are about 20% larger than the females.
Size
Total length: 71″ to 84¾″
Tail: 11″ to 14″
Sign
In the winter scat is a pile of pelets. In the summer, when there is more moisture in the diet, the pellets bunch up into larger masses. Fresh scat is dark and shiny. After a few days it loses the sheen. It lightens in color as it ages.
Similar Species
Isolated occurances of Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in Minnesota have been reported. The mule deer has much larger ears. There is a white rump patch around the tail. The tail is thinner than the tail of the whitetailed deer, and ends in a black tip. When the animal runs the tail hangs down. On males the antlers develop on a main beam that grows upward, rather than forward. Each branch of the antlers are split into a forked pair.
Habitat
Prairies, forests, swamps, wood lots, agricultural fields.
Ecology
Behavior
Lifespan
2 to 10 years
Life Cycle
Food
Leaves, twigs, shoots, acorns, berries, and seeds, grasses, and herbs.
Distribution |
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Sources Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 4/26/2025). Timm, R. M. 1975. Distribution, natural history, and parasites of mammals of Cook County, Minnesota. Occasional Papers, Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota 14:1–56. Hazard, Evan B. 1982. The Mammals of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 280 pp. |
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| 4/26/2025 | ||
The range of Dakota White-tailed Deer (O. v. dacotensis) extends into western and northwestern Minnesota. The range of Kansas White-tailed Deer (O. v. macrourus) extends into southern Minnesota to about the Minnesota River Valley. Northern White-tailed Deer (O. v. borealis) are found in the northeast, north-central, central, metro, and southeast regions of the state. |
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Occurrence |
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Common and widespread |
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Taxonomy
Class
Subclass
Theria
Infraclass
Placentalia (Placental Mammals)
Magnorder
Boreoeutheria
Superorder
Laurasiatheria (Ungulates, Carnivorans, and Allies)
Order
Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates and Cetaceans)
Suborder
Ruminantia (Ruminants)
Infraorder
Pecora
Superfamily
Cervoidea
Family
Cervidae (Deer)
Subfamily
Capreolinae (New World Deer, Moose, Caribou, and Roe Deer)
Tribe
Odocoileini (True New World Deer and Caribou)
Genus
Odocoileus (White-tailed and Mule Deer)
Subordinate Taxa
Avery Island White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus mcilhennyi)
Blackbeard Island White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus nigribarbis)
Bull Island White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus taurinsulae)
Carmen Mountains White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus carminis)
Columbian White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus)
Coues White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus couesi)
Dakota White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus dacotensis) 
Florida Coastal White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus osceola)
Florida White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus seminolus)
Hilton Head Island White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus hiltonensis)
Hunting Island White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus venatorius)
Kansas White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus macrourus)
Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium)
Northern White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis)
Northern Rocky Mountains White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus ochrourus)
Texas White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus texanus)
Virginia White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus virginianus)
Synonyms
Cervus virginianus
Dama virginiana
Odocoileus cooki
Odocoileus sheridanus
Common Names
Deer
Virginia Deer
Whitetail
White-tailed Deer
