The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is an ungulate species of the family Cervidae indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are said to resemble those of a donkey or mule. Unlike the related white-tailed deer (O. virginianus), which is found throughout most of North America east of the Rockies (as well as Latin America), mule deer are native to areas west of the Mississippi River and the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the desert southwest and the West Coast of the United States, as well as northern Mexico. Mule deer have also been introduced to Argentina and the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Additionally, both the Cedros Island and Tiburón Island mule deer subspecies have evolved as island-dwellers, found on Mexican islands off of Baja California and in the Sea of Cortez, respectively.
Two types of black-tailed deer are also generally considered conspecific with the mule deer. The Columbian black-tailed deer is found in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, while the Sitka black-tailed deer ranges from British Columbia north to Alaska, both typically found along the coast.
Subspecies[]
- Baja Peninsula mule deer
- California mule deer
- Cedros Island mule deer
- Columbian black-tailed deer
- Desert mule deer
- Inyo mule deer
- Rocky Mountain mule deer
- Sitka black-tailed deer
- Southern mule deer
- Tiburón Island mule deer
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