
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 23, 1994                   TAG: 9411160024
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: PATRICIA HELD
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VIRGINIA DEER WAVE THEIR FLAGS TO WARN COMPANIONS OF DANGER

White-tailed deer are among nature's most elegant animals and have always been a part of the Western Virginia landscape. While the state's white-tail population is high, no matter how often I see one of these creatures bounding across a field I can never think of it as a common sight.

These graceful animals travel in leaps and bounds with a speed and agility that cannot be compared with any of our other local animals. They have amazing speed and can travel for short bursts at 40 miles per hour and are able to clear obstacles that are 9 feet high.

Species of deer can be found in many parts of the world. More than 40 varieties live today in habitats ranging from the tropical forests to the Arctic tundra. At least one deer species or another is indigenous to Europe, Asia and both North and South America. The family includes moose, elk, caribou, mule deer and our own Virginia white-tailed deer.

Because of its hooves, the deer is known as an ungulate. It walks on the tips of its toes, which are encased in a horny sheath or hoof. The ungulate is a land dweller and a plant eater.

Another prominent feature of the deer is its deciduous antlers. Antlers are solid bony structures that grow from permanent bases or pedicels on the frontal bones of the skull. Located above and behind the eye sockets, the antlers are grown and shed annually. This shedding process takes place in midwinter. The old antlers, high in calcium, are usually eaten by mice and other rodents.

After about two weeks, new antlers begin to grow, and by spring they are bigger and more complex than the last year's. Initially these antlers are covered with a velvet fur that protects the immature and soft bone. As the antlers mature and harden, the velvet peels off to reveal sturdy new growth. Right now, deer antlers are at their prime, as the animals prepare to go into breeding season.

Quality and quantity of food are factors in antler growth, as are genetics and age. The older a healthy deer becomes, the larger his antlers will grow. But antler size declines in very old age.

Basically, deer are woodland dwellers found in the cover of lightly forested areas with trees and undergrowth. Open pastures with thickets and wooded areas make ideal deer habitat. Deer are adaptable and seem to survive even when their habitat is altered. While they are common in our more rural areas, they also can be found in housing developments, and right in the middle of town.

The white-tailed deer is a browser, eating leaves from trees and bushes as well as evergreens, acorns and fruit. Since it lacks upper teeth, the lower ones must work against the upper gum pad. Like cattle, deer chew their cud. They gather and swallow a great deal of food quickly, then wait until later, in a more protected area, to chew it thoroughly.

Late October and early November is rutting or breeding season. A young doe can mate a year after her birth, but a buck must wait until he is large and strong enough to compete for a doe. During the rutting season, a buck maintains a territory and will fight off others that enter it. Severe but rarely fatal shoving matches often develop between rival bucks.

As the animal's name implies, its most distinguishing characteristic is its tail, long and bushy with a snow-white underside. The deer carries its tail - or flag - aloft like a banner. When frightened or when it senses danger, the deer pops its tail up and bounds away, flagging its tail to alert the herd.

by CNB