| Deer, Columbian white-tailed | |||
| Genus | Odocoileus | ||
| Species | virginianus | ||
| Subspecies | leucurus | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Habitat | Low-lying islands, bottomlands, rolling hills, oak woodlands | ||
| Distribution | USA (Washington, Oregon) | ||
| Appearance | This subspecies of deer is small and white-tailed, with a grayish-brown tail. Antlers are exceptionally small. | ||
| Behavior | These deer bed in willow thickets and mint or hay fields. These deer are relatively solitary animals, and live in groups of two to three individuals. | ||
| Diet | Grasses, forbs | ||
| Feeding | This deer tends to feed almost exclusively on herbaceous vegetation. They prefer to feed on pasture where grasses and forbs are kept short by cattle grazing, but they avoid areas where cattle are actually present. It is possible that they feed more during the night than the day, and that the percentage of time spent feeding varies seasonally. | ||
| Breeding | The breeding season, known as the rut, begins during the first week of November and may sometimes last through March. Does (females) give birth to young around the second week of June. | ||
| Sexual Maturity | 2 years | ||
| Gestation | 210 days | ||
| Conservation |
Conversion of land for agricultural uses has eliminated the native grass-herb association on which this deer depends for survival. Drainage of ponds may also have helped eliminate essential habitat. These deer have also been shot for food and sport until the early 1900s.
It would be beneficial for this animal if pasture lands were maintained in favorable conditions. Reducing the time spent by cattle in favorable areas might also help the deer, giving them more time to graze. | ||
| Animal Communication Panel | |||
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