White-tailed Deer: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Wild Mix · day 2 of 4

Five facts

1. When a white-tailed deer spots a threat, it raises its tail like a flag. This is called tail-flagging.
2. Bucks drop their antlers once every female has mated, between late December and February.
3. For about four weeks, a mother hides her fawn in plants and comes back to nurse it four or five times a day.
4. The white-tailed deer is a ruminant: its stomach is divided into four chambers.
5. Texas has by far the most white-tailed deer of any US state, Canadian province or Latin American country: about 5.3 million.

The quiz

1. What does a white-tailed deer do when it detects a threat?

• Raises its tail (correct)
• Stamps its hooves
• Lies flat
• Rubs its antlers

Tail-flagging means raising the tail when a threat is detected.

2. When do bucks shed their antlers?

• Right after birth
• After all the females have been bred (correct)
• In midsummer
• Before the mating season

Bucks drop their antlers once every female has mated, between late December and February.

3. How many times a day do mothers nurse their hidden fawns?

• Once
• Twice
• Ten times
• Four to five times (correct)

A mother comes back to nurse her hidden fawn four or five times a day.

4. How many chambers does a white-tailed deer's stomach have?

• One
• Two
• Four (correct)
• Three

As a ruminant it has a four-chambered stomach.

5. Which place has the most white-tailed deer?

• Minnesota
• Texas (correct)
• Ontario
• Florida

Texas shelters more white-tailed deer than any other state, province or country.

More about the White-tailed Deer

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries