Their diet is mostly hay and pelleted food, with fruits and veggies mixed in. These groups must have plenty of space to roam, and a variety of different plants to browse on. They are social animals, so zookeepers keep them in herds. In a zoological setting, caring for these deer is quite similar to other deer species. They are large, wild animals, and can be potentially dangerous. Humans have not domesticated mule deer in any way. Of course, some subspecies have very small populations, and laws protect them from hunting for this reason. This population boom causes disease and starvation. Because human activity suppresses large predators, deer populations boom. Just like their whitetail cousins, hunting is an important population control for mule deer. Overall, these deer eat a wide variety of vegetation, from fruits and seeds to grasses and leaves. During the summer, they favor flowering plants. These deer also feed on different types of plants throughout the various seasons.ĭuring the winter, when grasses are more difficult to reach, they feed more heavily on trees and shrubs. Diet of the Mule DeerĪs with their range, the different subspecies and regions have different eating habits. The Rocky Mountain subspecies has the widest range of the numerous subspecies. Throughout this range, different subspecies inhabit virtually the entire continent. They live as far north as southern Alaska, and as far south as Mexico. Various subspecies of this large deer live across most of North America to the west of the Mississippi River. In some areas, this species also lives in agricultural areas and pastures. They live in grasslands, meadows, forest edges, desert scrubs, boreal forests, and more. Across the species, they live in a wide range of different ecosystems. The preferred habitat of this species varies based upon the region, and different subspecies have different habitat preferences. This species’ most common predators are cougars, coyotes, and gray wolves. Predators rarely attempt to attack adult deer, but prefer to hunt old, young, or sick animals. Formidable Prey – A healthy adult mule deer is a tough adversary.Once their antlers finish growing, they shed the velvet. This velvet has blood vessels to help the antlers grow. Their new set of antlers grows with a cover of skin, called velvet. Antler Velvet – After deer shed their antlers, they quickly begin to grow them back.Antlers are pure bone, and grow larger year after year after the animal has shed Horns have a bony core, with many blood vessels, and a coating of hair-like keratin. Horns – The primary difference between antlers and horns is that animals shed their antlers yearly. These deer frequently run by stotting, which is where they hop along and land with all four feet at a time. While they can run the “traditional way,” they commonly run in a more unique fashion. ![]() ![]() Stotting – Mule deer have a very unique way of running.They have a number of interesting behaviors and traits, learn more below. ![]() These large deer are quite unique creatures. Like their whitetail cousins, females usually do not have antlers. There are 10 different subspecies, some of which vary greatly in size of color. but some individuals have reached up to 460 lbs. This species is quite large, and some individuals can stand over 42 in.
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