Mammals · Artiodactyla · Cervidae
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The white-tailed deer, also called the Virginia deer or grey deer, is an artiodactyl mammal of the deer family. It lives in a range of American ecosystems, from those of Canada in the subarctic, through the dry forests of the mountain slopes of Mexico and the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, to the dry equatorial forests of northern Peru and other wooded areas of South America. It feeds on shrubs and grasses. It is heavily hunted throughout its range, but is not considered at risk. In some regions its populations have grown because of a shortage of predators. On 28 June 1993 the National Congress of the Republic of Honduras made the white-tailed deer the national symbol of the country's wildlife. Odocoileus virginianus was likewise declared a national symbol of the Republic of Costa Rica on 2 May 1995.
Weight
25 kg – 150 kg
Size
95 cm – 2.2 m
