---
title: "What the sources say about the White-Tailed Deer | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "50 claims from the White-Tailed Deer profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/white-tailed-deer-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/white-tailed-deer/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the White-Tailed Deer (*Odocoileus virginianus*)

> 50 claims from the White-Tailed Deer profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [White-Tailed Deer](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/white-tailed-deer/)

## Dewey (2003). Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Odocoileus_virginianus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A fawn holds in its waste until its mother returns, and she swallows whatever it passes so predators find no sign of it | Fawns withhold their feces and urine until the mother arrives, at which point she ingests whatever the fawn voids to deny predators any sign of the fawn. (note: tagline) |
| Woods, farmland, swamps and desert scrub from southern Canada to Bolivia | from the big woods of northern Maine to the deep saw grass and hammock swamps of Florida. They also inhabit farmlands, brushy areas and such desolate areas of the west such as the cactus and thornbrush deserts of southern Texas and Mexico. (note: stats.habitat; Bolivia and Canada from the Geographic Range paragraph (claim below)) |
| Woods, farmland, swamps and desert scrub from southern Canada to Bolivia | Whitetail deer inhabit most of southern Canada and all of the mainland United States except two or three states in the west. Their range reaches throughout Central America to Bolivia. (note: stats.habitat, range half) |
| A newborn white-tailed deer weighs 1.5 to 2.5 kg | At birth, fawns are spotted with white in coloration and weight between 1.5 and 2.5 kg. |
| Its mother leaves it in dense vegetation while she feeds | When foraging, females leave their offspring in dense vegetation for about four hours at a time. (note: duration left out of the page) |
| The fawn lies flat with its neck outstretched | fawns lay flat on the ground with their necks outstretched, well camouflaged against the forest floor. |
| holds in its feces and urine until she returns | Fawns withhold their feces and urine until the mother arrives |
| Then she eats whatever the fawn passes, to deny predators any sign of it | at which point she ingests whatever the fawn voids to deny predators any sign of the fawn. |
| Adults stand 80 to 100 cm at the shoulder | height at the shoulders is between 80 and 100 cm. |
| weigh 57 to 137 kg | Range mass 57.0 to 137.0 kg |
| bucks are bigger than does | Sexual Dimorphism male larger |
| They also swim well | Whitetail deer are also good swimmers |
| They depend mainly on smell to detect danger | depend mainly on their sense of smell to detect danger. |
| The range covers most of southern Canada and the mainland United States except two or three western states, then reaches through Central America to Bolivia | Whitetail deer inhabit most of southern Canada and all of the mainland United States except two or three states in the west. Their range reaches throughout Central America to Bolivia. |
| Deer live in the big woods of northern Maine, the swamps of Florida, farmland, and the cactus and thornbrush deserts of southern Texas and Mexico | from the big woods of northern Maine to the deep saw grass and hammock swamps of Florida. They also inhabit farmlands, brushy areas and such desolate areas of the west such as the cactus and thornbrush deserts of southern Texas and Mexico. |
| a startled deer waves its tail from side to side as it flees | They wave their tails characteristically from side to side when they are startled and fleeing. |

## White-tailed Deer. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/species-information/mammals/deer.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Grasses, leaves, acorns, fruits, grains, and twigs and buds of woody plants | Deer consume grasses, sedges, ferns, lichens, mushrooms, weeds, aquatics, leaves (green and fallen), fruits, hard mast (acorns, beech nuts, etc.), grains, and twigs and buds of woody plants. (note: stats.diet) |
| A white tail raised as a danger signal | Their trademark white tail, when erected, flashes a danger signal to other deer in the vicinity. (note: stats.superpower) |
| Its reddish-brown coat is dappled with white spots, which give it excellent camouflage against detection by predators in the summer | Fawns are born with a reddish-brown coat dappled with white spots. This affords excellent camouflage against detection by predators in the summer. |
| early fawn losses tend to be high | However, early fawn losses tend to be high; only 65 to 90 of these young deer typically survive their first five months of life. (note: "typically" in the quote belongs to the survival figure; "tend to be high" is the source hedge, kept) |
| In Maine, about 130 fawns are born for every 100 does, but only 65 to 90 of them usually survive their first five months | In a typical year, each 100 Maine does will give birth to about 130 fawns. However, early fawn losses tend to be high; only 65 to 90 of these young deer typically survive their first five months of life. |
| Their long legs let them leap, bound, turn and run at up to 40 miles per hour | They have long graceful legs, enabling them to cover ground quickly by leaping, bounding, turning and outright running at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. |
| Wide-set eyes help them pick out subtle movement | They have wide-set eyes, enabling them to focus on subtle movements while maintaining an excellent sense of depth perception. |
| large ears rotate toward suspicious sounds | Whitetails have keen hearing, made possible by large ears that can rotate toward suspicious sounds. |
| When a deer raises its white tail, it flashes a danger signal to other deer nearby | Their trademark white tail, when erected, flashes a danger signal to other deer in the vicinity. |
| Bucks grow new antlers every year | Bucks annually produce antlers, which are made of bone. (note: "annually" paraphrased as "every year") |
| Antlers are made of bone | Bucks annually produce antlers, which are made of bone. |
| they start to grow in April, wrapped in velvet, a network of skin tissue and blood vessels | antlers begin growing in April, and are nurtured by a velvety outer network of skin tissue and blood vessels. |
| The velvet is shed in late August or September | Velvet is shed when growth is complete in late August and September. |
| the hard antlers drop off between late December and early March | The hardened, polished antlers remain until they are shed in late December to early March. |
| A deer also grows two coats a year | Each year, deer produce two coats of hair, each adapted to seasonal climate. |
| A short reddish one keeps it cool in summer | In late spring, deer grow a coat of fine, short reddish hair. This pelage allows ample air circulation and helps the deer to stay cool in summer's heat. |
| In September it molts into a winter coat with a woolly layer underneath and long hollow guard hairs on top, which the deer can raise to thicken the coat against winter winds | During September, deer molt to a highly insulative coat which consists of a dense layer of fine woolly hair under a layer of long hollow brown, gray, and white guard hairs. The guard hairs can be erected to form a very thick insulative coat, which protects against the cold winds of winter. |
| In autumn it also packs fat under the skin, between the muscles and inside the hollow bones of its legs | In autumn, deer accumulate fat under the skin, in the viscera, between the muscles, and in the hollow bones of the legs. |
| That fat can be 10 to 25% of its body weight by late fall | This fat layer can comprise 10 to 25% of a deer's body weight by late fall. |
| They eat grasses, ferns, mushrooms, leaves, fruits, acorns, grains, and twigs and buds of woody plants | Deer consume grasses, sedges, ferns, lichens, mushrooms, weeds, aquatics, leaves (green and fallen), fruits, hard mast (acorns, beech nuts, etc.), grains, and twigs and buds of woody plants. |
| they take more twigs and buds when better food is short | Deer consume more twigs and buds of dormant trees and shrubs when more nutritious foods are unavailable. |
| A deer can live to 20 years, though few in the wild last that long | White-tailed deer can live to 20 years, but few deer in the wild live that long. |
| Raised, the white tail is a danger signal to any other deer in the area | Their trademark white tail, when erected, flashes a danger signal to other deer in the vicinity. |
| Up to 20 years, and rarely that long in the wild | White-tailed deer can live to 20 years, but few deer in the wild live that long. |
| Does typically outlive bucks | Does typically live longer than bucks |
| Sometimes, though it is rare | White-tailed does sometimes produce antlers, but this is rare. |
| The does that do are usually older, between 5 and 15 years, and they grow spikes covered in velvet | Does that do sprout antlers typically are older (5 to 15 years old); their antlers are usually velvet-covered spikes. |
| Most of them remain fertile | Most antlered does remain fertile. |
| antlers start in April | antlers begin growing in April, and are nurtured by a velvety outer network of skin tissue and blood vessels. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim "they start to grow in April, wrapped in velvet, a network of") |
| a thick winter coat comes in September | During September, deer molt to a highly insulative coat which consists of a dense layer of fine woolly hair under a layer of long hollow brown, gray, and white guard hairs. The guard hairs can be erected to form a very thick insulative coat, which protects against the cold winds of winter. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim "The velvet is shed in late August or September") |
| fat is packed on in autumn | In autumn, deer accumulate fat under the skin, in the viscera, between the muscles, and in the hollow bones of the legs. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim "In autumn it also packs fat under the skin, between the musc") |

## Gallina & Lopez Arevalo (2016). Odocoileus virginianus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T42394A22162580.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t42394a22162580.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus) |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |

## Hubbard & Nielsen (2009). White-Tailed Deer Attacking Humans During the Fawning Season: A Unique Human-Wildlife Conflict on a University Campus. Human–Wildlife Interactions.

https://doi.org/10.26077/409s-td37

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| dangerLevel: Medium | The attacks occurred at multiple locations on campus, with injuries to humans, including minor scrapes, bruises, broken bones, and skin lacerations requiring stitches. (note: task #1009; Medium is 'Can injure, but rarely seriously': 13 attacks by does in two fawning seasons, and the authors knew of no earlier report of free-ranging does attacking people) |