Illustration from Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia/Corbis
White-Tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus macroura
Subspecies of White-Tailed Deer
May 19, 1804, at St. Charles, Missouri.
Size varies greatly; a small to medium-size deer. Tan or reddish brown above in summer; grayish brown in winter. Belly, throat, nose band, eye ring, and inside of ears are white.
Farmlands, brushy areas, woods, and suburbs and gardens.
Southern half of southern tier of Canadian provinces; most of U.S. except far southwest.
Two subspecies of the white-tailed deer (the key deer and the Columbian white-tailed deer) are on the U.S. Endangered Species List.
The Columbian white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus) was among the four subspecies of white-tailed deer described in the journals. It was noted by Lewis near the mouth of the Williamette River on March 28, 1806.
