18 Facts About Mule deer

Mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule.

Unlike the related white-tailed deer, which is found throughout most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains and in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains from Idaho and Wyoming northward, mule deer are only found on the western Great Plains, in the Rocky Mountains, in the southwest United States, and on the west coast of North America.

Mule deer have been introduced to Argentina and Kauai, Hawaii.

Mule deer can be divided into two main groups: the mule deer and the black-tailed deer.

Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with white-taileds.

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Diets of mule deer are very similar to those of white-tailed deer in areas where they coexist.

Mule deer are intermediate feeders rather than pure browsers or grazers; they predominantly browse, but eat forb vegetation, small amounts of grass, and where available, tree or shrub fruits such as beans, pods, nuts, and berries.

Mule deer readily adapt to agricultural products and landscape plantings.

Where available, mule deer eat a variety of wild mushrooms, which are most abundant in late summer and fall in the southern Rocky Mountains; mushrooms provide moisture, protein, phosphorus, and potassium.

Mule deer are variably gregarious, with a large proportion of solitary individuals and small groups .

Mule deer are ruminants, meaning they employ a nutrient acquisition strategy of fermenting plant material before digesting it.

Rumination time increases when Mule deer consume high-fiber, low-starch diets, which allows for increased nutrient acquisition due to greater length of fermentation.

Mule deer migrate from low elevation winter ranges to high elevations summer ranges.

Mule deer migrate in fall to avoid harsh winter conditions like deep snow that covers up food resources, and in spring follow the emergence of new growth northwards.

Climate change impacts on seasonal growth patterns constitute a risk for migrating mule deer by invalidating historic or learned migration paths.

One way to help protect Mule deer from getting hit on roadways is to install high fence wildlife fencing with escape routes.

Rather than migrate through urban areas some Mule deer tend to stay close to those urban developments, potentially for resources and to avoid the obstacles in urban areas.

Several Mule deer possessed apparent SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, however a female Mule deer in Morgan County had an active Delta variant infection.