Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Taxonomy: Class: Mammalia, Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Cervidae
Physical Description: White-tailed deer can be recognized by the distinctive white underside of their tails, which they raise when alarmed. They also have small, rounded ears. Their coats range from reddish-brown to gray, and their antlers grow vertically, usually featuring a single main beam. Adult male white-tailed deer in Arizona typically weigh up to 125 pounds (57 kg), while adult females weigh up to 80 pounds (36 kg). They can stand about 2.5 feet (0.8 m) at the shoulder and can be around 5.5 feet (1.7 m) long from nose to tail. White-tailed deer can be confused with mule deer, which have larger, more elongated ears (resembling those of a mule), black-tipped tail, and forked antlers.
Geographical Range: White-tailed deer are found across North America, from southern Canada through the United States and into northern Mexico. In southern Arizona, they are commonly seen in Sky Islands mountain ranges such as the Santa Rita and Huachuca Mountains, and riparian areas such as the San Pedro River, where there are ample food sources and cover.
Habitat: White-tailed deer prefer wooded areas, mixed forests, and edges of fields and wetlands. They are adaptable and often thrive in suburban areas. In southern Arizona, white-tailed deer are primarily found in found in brushy or forested areas above ca. 4,000 feet in elevation.
Diet: White-tailed deer are herbivores, primarily feeding on grasses, leaves, fruits, and nuts. They are browsers and often switch their diets based on seasonal availability. While winter is the most critical time of food shortage for white-tailed deer in most climates, here in Arizona the hot-dry season of May, June, and July causes a shortage of foliage. Plants commonly eaten by white-tailed deer include: Fouquieria splendens (ocotillo), Mimosa dysocarpa (velvet pod mimosa), Calliandra eriophylla (fairy duster), and Krameria parvifolia (small-flower ratany).
Behavior and Reproduction: White-tailed deer are social animals, typically found living in small groups. Across most of the United States, breeding season (often called the "rut") usually occurs in the fall, and females usually give birth to 1-2 fawns in late spring. In southern Arizona, however, the rut takes place around January, with fawns being born in late July and early August to take advantage of green-up from the monsoon rains.
Lifespan: White-tailed deer can live up to 10 years under optimal conditions, although most die much younger in the wild.
Conservation Threats: Major threats include habitat loss, vehicle collisions, poaching, and diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease.
Species of Greatest Conservation Need Status in AZ: Not currently listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Arizona.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Status: Least Concern
Backyard Conservation: People can help the conservation of white-tailed deer by creating wildlife-friendly spaces through providing water sources, planting native plants, and avoiding the use of harmful pesticides. Plants you can cultivate as food sources for white-tailed deer include ocotillo, fairy duster, small-flower ratany, and velvet pod mimosa.
Fun Facts: Arizona's white-tailed deer are a subspecies called Coues' deer (Odocoileus virginianus couesi) that can only be found in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Coues' deer are much smaller than white-tailed deer found elsewhere in the United States, and are renowned for their wariness around people. More information about their unique biology can be found in Jim Heffelfinger's Deer of the Southwest.
References:
Arizona Game and Fish Department. (Accessed 24 October 2024). White-tailed deer. Retrieved from azgfd.com.
Arizona State Parks and Trails. (Accessed 8 November 2024). Coues Deer. Retrieved from azstateparks.com.
Mammal Diversity Database. (Accessed 24 October 2024). Odocoileus virginianus. Retrieved from mammaldiversity.org.
White, Robert Wesley. "An evaluation of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) habitats and foods in Southern Arizona." (1957). repository.arizona.edu.
Map: Coming soon!