Black-Tailed Deer - 'Jane Doe'

This is JANE DOE, or Janie as we've nicknamed her, a female Black-Tailed Deer born late in June 2006. She was brought to us by the Department of Fish and Game after her mother was killed by a car. She is partially blind in one eye and has a hearing deficit, which may resolve over time. Because of these problems, she has trouble with depth perception and sometimes runs into the edges of her enclosure. She will be used in our educational programs as an ambassador of her species to show people the negative impact automobiles have on our wildlife.

Black-tailed deer are common in northern California. The black-tailed deer is a sub-species of mule deer found on the Pacific coast.  Mule deer have black at the tip of the tail, whereas black-tail deer have black along the full length of the top of the tail. This is how this subspecies got its name.  The Black-tailed deer is the smallest of the three native deer species (mule, black-tailed, white-tailed). Both subspecies have smaller ears than mule deer. The Black-tailed deer has almost no rump patch with a wide, black-surfaced tail. It has a light face, muzzle and forehead. Antlers on the male form in forked pairs, like mule deer.

Black-tailed deer make their homes in the forest near dense low-lying shrubs, where they come out around dusk and dawn to feed on plentiful, tasty herbs and berries. They are particularly fond of blackberry and raspberry vines, grapes, mistletoe, mushrooms and ferns.

Black tailed deer are very good swimmers. When running, a black-tailed deer bounces like a mule deer but usually holds its tail straight out.

Fawns are born from April through June. It usually stays with the doe for the first year; it sees its mother only at mealtimes for feeding. Fawns have white camouflage spots and are further protected by having little or no scent. Spots begin to fade by the end of the first month.

Natural predators are mountain lions, and occasionally coyotes. Other predators include cougars, eagles, wolves, bobcats, and even domestic dog packs. However, their chief enemy is humans. The destruction of habitat through logging and development has played a large part in the decrease of deer. Today, hunters and automobiles destroy an estimated 400,000 deer annually among all the deer species.