The white-tailed deer is the official state animal of Illinois, chosen by schoolchildren in 1980 and officially recognized by the State General Assembly two years later. They have a distinctive white patch on their tail and are hunted by humans due to declining populations of predators. They have a varied diet and are found throughout the United States.
The white-tailed deer is the official state animal of Illinois, one of the central states of the United States. It was selected to be the state animal of Illinois after a vote by schoolchildren in 1980. Two years later, the State General Assembly officially made the white-tailed deer the state animal of Illinois.
These animals get their name from the prominent white patch on the underside of the tail. When a white-tailed deer flees, this spot virtually flashes, providing a stark visual warning to the rest of the herd. The coat of this species is fawn in the summer months and greyish-brown in the winter. The fur along the underside of the belly remains white year-round.
Male white-tailed deer, called red deer, grow and lose a set of antlers each year. In early spring, the antlers are enveloped in a vascularized soft tissue called velvet that feeds the growing antlers. Later in the season, the velvet peels off or is scraped off to reveal bone-like antlers. Antlers are used to assert dominance over other bucks and claim for breeding. After the breeding season the horns fall off.
Late fall and early winter are mating season for white-tailed deer. Gestation is about six months and the young deer, called fawn, is born in spring. A female white-tailed deer, called a doe, can bring about one to three fawns each year. Born reddish brown with spots, fawns are often able to stand and walk soon after birth. Male fawns stay with their mothers for one year, and female fawns often stay with their mother for two years, until mated.
Wolves and cougars used to be the top predators of adult white-tailed deer, and coyotes and bears are the top predators of fawns, but now humans are the top predators. This change is the result of declining populations of these predatory animals. Most states issue hunting permits based on herd size estimates in an effort to control white-tailed deer population growth.
Herbivorous white-tailed deer have a wide-ranging diet and consume grasses, mushrooms, leaves of trees and bushes, and cacti. Adaptive feeding, reduced predation, and deforestation of the United States have allowed the white-tailed deer to spread to virtually all parts of the United States. These animals are often spotted along roadsides, in backyards and gardens, likely due to their popularity with Illinois schoolchildren and their designation as the state animal of Illinois. It is also the state animal of ten other states.
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