Critters of the Week

Where Spotted: Pony Pasture
Common Name: White-tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Weight: Males – 150 to 300 lb Females – 88 to 198 lb

Quick Facts

• Bucks have antlers, not horns. Horns are permanent keratin structures found on cattle, sheep, etc. Antlers, one of the fastest-growing animal tissues in the world, are bones that drop off and regrow every year.
• Deer eat 3-5% of their body weight per day.
• Under optimum conditions, a deer population could double in size annually.
• There may be twice as many deer in Virginia today – nearly 1 million – than when Jamestown was settled. White-tailed deer, nearly extinct in 1900, reproduce quickly and adapt well to human landscapes.
• Deer have dichromatic (two-color) vision with blue and yellow primaries;[15] humans normally have trichromatic vision. Thus, deer poorly distinguish the oranges and reds that stand out so well to humans.
• The 1942 Disney film adaptation of Bambi, famously changed Bambi’s species from the novel’s roe deer into a white-tailed deer.

If you’re a fan of original content like those photos above be sure to give our Instagram and Dickie’s Backyard Bird Blind Bonanza on FB a follow and consider making a donation.

[wpedon id=”165378″]

Sonya Blade at Richmond SPCA

Good day to you! My name is Sonya Blade and I hope that you can help me with something… finding my fur-ever home! I know that once you meet me, you’ll be charmed by my great purr-sonality and adorable looks. Please consider making me a part of your family today!

Age: 1 year, 2 months
Gender: Spayed Female
Color: Grey / White
ID: 47628358

Adopt Sonya Blade at Richmond SPCA

Learn more about their adoption process.