Mule Deer

 

Class	Mammalia
Order	Artiodactyla (even-toed hoofed mammals)
Family	Cervidae (deer family). Hoofed with antlers, which are shed each year. Same family as moose and caribou. Chew cud.
Genus	Odocoileus
Species	hemionus
Name/ History	The name comes from the large ear size.
Size Weight (lbs)	Male 125-400	Female 100-150	Fawn/Kid 8.3
Height (ft)	3-3.5	2.5-3	1.5
Mate	October-December, males become highly aggressive
Gestation	7 months
Birth	June/July fawns spotted and walk soon after birth
# young	Usually 2 after first
Age	16 years in the wild; 25 years in captivity
Habitat/ Range	Coniferous forest, desert shrub, grasslands. East from Oregon to the Dakotas, Canada south to northern Mexico.
Food	Browse, grass, herbs
Enemies	Coyotes, bobcats
Disease	Chronic Wasting Disease, Epizootic Hemmoragic Disease
Communication	Fawns rarely bleat, bucks grunt. Use whistling snorts of alarm or bleat to a bark if distressed.
Behavior/ Characteristics	Not highly gregarious or strictly solitary. Tend to be creatures of habit.