whitetail deer
(Odocoileus virginianus)
| Conservation Status | IUCN Red List |
LC - Least Concern |
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NatureServe |
N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked |
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Minnesota |
not listed |
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| Occurrence | Common and widespread |
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| Habitat | Prairies, forests, swamps, wood lots, agricultural fields. |
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| Lifespan | 2 to 10 years |
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| Size | Total length: 71″ to 84¾″ Tail: 11″ to 14″ |
Photo by Christa Rittberg | |||||
| Identification | 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Food | Leaves, twigs, shoots, acorns, berries, and seeds, grasses, and herbs. |
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| Life Cycle |
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| Behavior |
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| Distribution |  |
The range of Dakota whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus dacotensis) extends into western and northwestern Minnesota. The range of Kansas whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus macrourus) extends into southern Minnesota to about the Minnesota River Valley. Northern whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis) are found in the northeast, north-central, central, metro, and southeast regions of the state. |
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| Comments |
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| Taxonomy | Order: |
Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) |
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Suborder: |
Cetruminantia (ruminants, whales, and hippos) |
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No Rank: |
Ruminantiamorpha |
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Infraorder: |
Pecora |
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Family: |
Cervidae (deer) |
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Subfamily: |
Capreolinae (new world deer) |
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Tribe: |
Rangiferini (reindeer and new world deer) |
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| Subordinate Taxa | northern white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis) Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus carminis) Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) Coues white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus couesi) Dakota white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus dacotensis) Hilton Head Island white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus hiltonensis) Columbian white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus) Kansas white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus macrourus) Avery Island white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus mcilhennyi) Blackbeard Island white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus nigribarbis) northwestern white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus ochrourus) Florida coastal white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus osceola) Florida white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus seminolus) Bull Island white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus taurinsulae) Texas white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus texanus) Hunting Island white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus venatorius) Virginia white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus virginianus) |
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| Synonyms |
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| Common Names |
deer Virginia deer whitetail white-tailed deer whitetail deer |
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Visitor Photos |
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Share your photo of this mammal. |
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Kirk Nelson |
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Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Long Meadow Lake Unit |
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Crosby Farm Regional Park |
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Fort Snelling State Park |
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Christa Rittberg |
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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Bill Reynolds |
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Caught this deer working along a backyard in the city of Duluth. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Fawns |
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Sign |
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| This blue urine spot is a sign of deer browsing on common buckthorn. | |||
Slideshows |
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| White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Bill Keim |
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| Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) Allen Chartier |
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| Deer Craig A. Mullenbach |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this mammal. |
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| Whitetail doe Dan W. Andree |
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About
Published on Jan 16, 2015 A curious doe in early spring. It looks like she is not that far away from giving birth to fawns. |
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| Fawn Dan W. Andree |
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About
Published on Feb 18, 2015 While filming out in the woods I came across a fawn that first ran off then came back. I stood quietly with my camcorder ready as it approached so close I had to stop filming it and just enjoy it's closeness. |
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Other Videos |
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| White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Andrew Baita |
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About
Uploaded on Aug 23, 2010 some deer Odocoileus virginianus shot with a canon t1i in 720p |
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| Whitetail Deer (Cervidae: Odocoileus virginianus) Antlered Males Carl Barrentine |
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About
Uploaded on Aug 2, 2010 Photographed west of the Agassiz NWR, Minnesota (02 August 2010). This one's for you, Floydstinkyboy. ;-) |
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| White-tailed deer - Odocoileus virginianus - YouTube JCVdude |
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About
Published on Aug 20, 2012 The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States (all but five of the states), Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru. It has also been introduced to New Zealand and some countries in Europe, such as Finland, Czech Republic, and Serbia. In the Americas, it is the most widely distributed wild ungulate. In North America, the species is most common east of the Rocky Mountains, and is absent from much of the western United States, including Nevada, Utah, California, Hawaii, and Alaska. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer |
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| Whitetail deer rut behavior EEItony |
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About
Uploaded on Nov 13, 2010 A white-tailed deer buck (Odocoileus virginianus) demonstrating typical rutting behavior by rubbing on tree branches and creating a scrape with its front hooves. Visit www.eagleeyeimaging.net to view images of white-tailed deer and other wildlife. |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Share your sighting of this mammal. |
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| Kirk Nelson 8/20/2017 |
Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Long Meadow Lake Unit Doe and fawn, just off the Bluff Trail |
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| Kirk Nelson 6/30/2017 |
Location: Crosby Farm Regional Park Whitetail deer can be seen throughout the park. I saw this buck near the parking area at Shepard Road and Elway. |
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| Wayne Rasmussen 5/31/2016 |
Location: Gull Lake, MN |
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| Kirk Nelson 5/8/2014 |
Location: Fort Snelling State Park Resting deer seemed unconcerned that I was only 10-12 yards away |
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| Bill Reynolds 7/4/2005 |
Location: St. Louis Co. Caught this deer working along a backyard in the city of Duluth. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Avon Hills Forest SNA Beaver Creek Valley State Park Cannon River Turtle Preserve SNA Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center Clinton Falls Dwarf Trout Lily SNA Felton Prairie SNA Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park Hardscrabble Woods / MG Tusler Sanctuary Kellogg Weaver Dunes SNA Lake Alexander Woods SNA Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie Mary Schmidt Crawford Woods SNA Minnesota Valley NWR Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR Pembina Trail Preserve SNA Richard M. & Mathilde Rice Elliott SNA Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve Savage Fen Scientific and Natural Area Spring Beauty Northern Hardwoods SNA |
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