The White-Tailed Deer

Listen to the white-tailed deer!

The white-tailed deer can be found in most of the United States. These deer live in wooded places.

Deer and people are living closer to each other as people build more and more homes. Because humans and deer often share a habitat, there can be problems for both of them. When a deer's habitat becomes smaller because of humans moving closer, deer will often eat food from peoples gardens. Deer need to cross roads to look for food and water and are sometimes struck by cars. People can also catch a sickness called Lyme Disease from the deer tick.

White-tailed deer are herbivores or plant eaters. They follow well-used trails to their feeding areas. They feed in the early morning hours and in the late afternoon. A deer's diet will change with its habitat and the season. They commonly eat green plants in the summer, corn, acorns and other nuts in the fall, and the buds and twigs of woody plants in the winter.

The mother white tailed deer raises its tail up in the air, snorts, and stamps its foot to let her fawn know when danger is near.

Deer can see and hear quite well, and their sense of smell is very good. They are fast runners and will race away from danger. Deer have hair on their bodies to color them and keep them warm. They blend in with their habitat and are not easily seen. That is called camouflage.

Hunters are the most danger to deer. But without hunters, there would be too many deer and they would not have enough food to eat. Deer are protected by laws that keep hunters from killing too many of them.