Monday, June 8, 2020

White-tailed Deer (the stag of Baratheon)

My trip to Boyertown Park in the early afternoon of June 7th was eventful.  The park's mowed areas are surrounded by deciduous forest, some parts denser than others.  I figured I might have better luck spotting animals in the thick of it.  While walking off-trail to try to find some small mammals, I instead found the track of a large one.  This morning was a sunny, 73 degrees Fahrenheit day, but it had rained for the past two afternoons, so the ground was soft enough to capture this track:


White-tailed deer are the state animal of Pennsylvania.  This medium-sized ungulate has reddish-brown fur at this time of year.  Adult males are antlered, and juveniles' backs are spotted with white.  They are aptly named due to a white spot of fur on the underside of their tail which they display when alarmed.  I was first sure that this was a White-tail track because they are the only species of deer that I am sure occurs in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  But I was able to verify the species with my mammal pocket guide (cited below).  White tail hoof tracks have a slightly larger space between the thicker end of their toes than other even-toed ungulates.

Howell, C. H. (2016). National Geographic pocket guide to the mammals of North
     America. National Geographic.

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