| Black-tailed deer | |
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| Male, Yosemite National Park | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Suborder: | Ruminantia |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | Capreolinae |
| Genus: | Odocoileus |
| Species: | O. hemionus |
| Subspecies: | O. h. columbianus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Odocoileus hemionus columbianus Richardson, 1829 |
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The Black-tailed deer, or Blacktail deer, (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) is a subspecies of the Mule Deer found in western North America, specifically in the Pacific Northwest region.
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Range
Black-tailed deer once lived at least as far east as Wyoming. In Francis Parkman's The Oregon Trail, an eyewitness account of his 1846 trek across the early West, while within a two-days ride from Fort Laramie, Parkman writes of shooting what he believes to be an elk, only to discover that he has killed a Black-tailed Deer.[1]
The Black-tailed deer is currently common in northern California, western Oregon, Washington, in coastal and interior British Columbia, and north into the Alaskan panhandle. There remains confusion, however, over its proper classification. It is a popular game animal.
Ecology
This species thrives on the edge of the forest, as the dark forest lacks the underbrush and grasslands that the deer prefers as food, and completely open areas lack the hiding spots and the cover it prefers for harsh weather. One of the plants that black-tailed deer browse is western poison oak, despite its allergen content.[2] This deer often is most active at dawn and dusk, and is frequently involved in collisions with automobiles.
Gallery
 Black-tailed deer in late July near Apiary, Oregon |
 Like all deer, black-tailed deer are herbivores |
 Two juveniles, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia |
 Male black-tailed deer, like this one from Olympic National Park, develop antlers in the summer |
See also
References
External links
Media related to Black-tailed Deer at Wikimedia Commons- Excerpts from the book Black-tailed Deer of California
- Black-tailed Deer at BritishColumbia.com
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
