Black-Tailed Deer or (Blacktail Deer)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Suborder: Ruminantia
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Capreolinae
Genus: Odocoileus
Species: Odocoileus hemionus
Subspecies: Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
The black-tailed deer is a species of deer that is found in the Pacific Northwest (specifically, from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, south to California). Their name derives from the fact that the bulk of the bottoms of their tails are black. Many professionals consider the black-tailed deer to be a sub-species of the Mule Deer. The black-tailed deer, however, are much smaller in body size. The adult black-tailed deer bucks (males) weigh between 120-250 lbs., while the adult does (females) weigh between 70-140 lbs.
The black-tailed deer make their home in the grassy fields near the forest edges. These areas provide the much desired underbrush and grasslands that the deer prefer to feed on. As well, the close access to the dark forest provides shelter from both predators and the inclement weather.
Black-tailed deer feed on grass, leaves and herbs in the spring and summer months. They are mostly active at dawn and at dusk, preferring to rest during the heat of the day. In the winter months they feed on the branches of trees such as Douglas fir and Western cedar among others. Starvation during these cold months is quite common.
Black-tailed deer live for approximately 10 years. In captivity they can double their years of life.
Fawns, when born, weigh between 3-6 lbs. They are speckled for camouflage. Fawns remain quiet and still among the tall ferns when their moms are away feeding. The black-tailed deer babies have no scent. This is another protective mechanism that allows them to go unnoticed by predators. |
