Mammals · Artiodactyla · Cervidae

Mule Deer

Odocoileus hemionus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The mule deer is an artiodactyl mammal of the family Cervidae. It is native to North America, occurring in Canada, the United States and Mexico, as well as in Argentina, where it has been introduced. It owes its name to its long ears, like a mule's. Its closest relative is the white-tailed deer. The two species often share habitats and can be mistaken for one another. The most specific differences between them are the colour of their tails and their antlers. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped. The mule deer's antlers fork as they grow, spreading more towards the front. Each year the mule deer's antlers begin to grow from mid-January to mid-April. Mule deer antlers also tend to grow somewhat larger than those of the white-tailed deer, particularly in cold climates, and the ears are rather more prominent.

Weight

45 kg – 150 kg

Size

1.3 m – 2 m

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Crepuscular

Active above all at dawn and dusk.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestDesertMountainGrasslandHerbivore Crepuscular Temperate forest Desert Mountain Grassland Mammal

3countries 27parks23same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt bounds with all four feet at once (stotting) to escape predators.
When fleeing it does not gallop: it bounds with all four feet at once, bouncing off the ground as though on springs, a gait called stotting that lets it change direction sharply on broken ground.
Some Wyoming herds travel more than 240 kilometres between their winter and summer ranges, the longest land migration documented in a United States ungulate.