White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus

Female White-tailed Deer, Bermejas, Zapata Swamp, Cuba, February 2005 - click for larger image

Cuba, Colombia and Peru

The White-tailed Deer is distributed from southern Canada through the USA and Central America to northern parts of South America. See the distribution map at IUCN. They are not forest animals. They are relatively tall, hold themselves upright and the males have antlers which makes their natural habitat savannas and forest and woodland edges.

There is a white tip to the chin and white surrounds to the dark muzzle as well as a pale eye-ring. The tail is white below and, when alarmed, is raised to show the white backside.

The species was introduced into Cuba in the 1930s in an attempt to attract hunters from the USA. Now lack of predators are turning it into a bit of a pest though it does provide meat for local hunters.

White-tailed Deer, Chingaza NP, Cundinamarca, Colombia, April 2012 - click for larger image

Photos 1 and 2 were taken in Cuba. Photos 3, 4 and 6 were taken near Bogota, Colombia and are of the sub-species O. v. goudotii and Photo 5 was taken in north-west Peru and is probably of the sub-species O. v. tropicalis. There are 38 sub-species of White-tailed Deer.

There is and excellent page on this species on Wikipedia.

White-tailed Deer, Chaparri, Lambayeque, Peru, October 2018 - click for larger image

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