Diet and behavior

•  White-tailed deer are herbivores. Their stomachs allow them to digest a varied diet, including leaves, twigs, fruits and nuts, grass, corn, alfalfa, and even lichens and other fungi. Occasionally venturing out in the daylight hours, white-tailed deer are primarily out at dawn and dusk.

• In the wild, white-tails, particularly the young, are preyed upon by bobcats, mountain lions, and coyotes. They use speed and agility to outrun predators, sprinting up to 30 miles per hour and leaping as high as 10 feet and as far as 30 feet in a single bound.

• Although previously depleted by unrestricted hunting in the United States, strict game-management measures have helped restore the white-tailed deer population.