White-tailed Deer -- the
most common deer of North America. White-tailed deer and it's cousin the
Mule Deer, are the only members of this family found in the North
American deserts.
White-tailed deer generally prefer open woodland, but are often
found on the fringes of urban areas and in farming country.
Deer are extremely cautious animals with keen senses of smell and
hearing. White-tailed deer feed on twigs, leaves, bark, shrubs, the
fruits and nuts of most vegetation, as well as lichens and other fungi.
They can run as fast as 40 miles per hour and are good swimmers.
Unlike most other hoofed mammals, which have permanent, hollow
horns, only male deer grow antlers, which they shed each year. Antlers
do not serve as weapons against predators, but are used during the
mating season, when the males fight to breed with females.
For Native Americans and early European settlers, deer meat
(venison) provided one of the most important sources of protein. Deer
hides were used to make buckskin jackets, moccasins and other leather
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