Deer vs Kangaroo: Comparing Two Very Different Grazers
Deer and kangaroos could hardly be more distantly related — one is a placental mammal of the deer family Cervidae, the other a marsupial that
Deer and kangaroos could hardly be more distantly related — one is a placental mammal of the deer family Cervidae, the other a marsupial that
Mostly no — deer generally avoid succulents, but “generally” is doing real work in that sentence. Waxy coatings, bitter or astringent sap, and odd textures
Deer are herbivores, and plants make up essentially all of their diet, but the surprising truth is that deer do occasionally eat meat. Deer have
Deer protect their fawns mainly by hiding them rather than guarding them. A doe conceals her newborn in dense cover, stays away most of the
Yes — deer eat blueberries, and not just the fruit. Deer browse blueberry bushes in every season: dormant buds and twigs in winter, tender new
Deer and goats are not close relatives, even though both are hoofed, cud-chewing browsers of similar size. Deer belong to the family Cervidae and grow
Caribou are not endangered as a species, but their overall picture is genuinely worrying. The IUCN lists Rangifer tarandus — the single species that includes
Yes — deer eat lilies, and both true lilies and daylilies rank among their absolute favorite garden plants. Daylilies are rated “frequently severely damaged” —
The main predators of fawns in North America are coyotes, black bears, and bobcats, joined regionally by wolves, mountain lions, and, less often, golden eagles,
Deer appear able to recognize individual humans, at least in a practical sense. Deer are observant, quick-learning animals with good memories, and plenty of real-world
A moose is taller than almost any horse. A mature bull moose stands roughly 5.5 to 6.9 feet at the shoulder — the biggest Alaskan
Yes — deer eat sweet potato vine, and they eat it like candy. The ornamental sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the most vulnerable
No. Male deer play no part in raising fawns. A buck’s involvement ends at mating: he does not help choose a birth site, does not
The elk rut, the annual breeding season, runs from roughly mid-September through mid-October across most of North America, with peak activity typically in the last
Axis deer and fallow deer are the two spotted deer people confuse most — especially on Texas ranches, where both run free — but the
No, deer do not mate for life. Deer are polygamous animals: a successful buck breeds with multiple does each season, forms no lasting pair bond
A fawn’s main sound is a bleat: a soft, high-pitched “maa” or “mew” that sounds a lot like a lamb or a goat kid. Fawns
Moose live across the cold northern forests of the Northern Hemisphere — a circumpolar range that spans Canada, Alaska, the northern United States, Scandinavia, the
Fallow deer and sika deer are both medium-sized, often-spotted deer that share woodland across Britain and Europe, but two marks separate them instantly. First, the
Yes — deer eat clematis, and they can do serious damage to it. Despite mildly toxic sap that gives the vine a sharp taste, clematis
Bull elk typically shed their antlers in March and April, later than most other North American deer. The biggest, most mature bulls usually drop first,
Deer hide their fawns in patches of dense, low cover: tall grass, weedy field edges, brushy fencerows, hayfields, thickets, and, quite often, suburban flowerbeds, gardens,
Red deer are much larger than fallow deer, and their antlers settle any doubt: a red stag grows tall, branched antlers of round beams and
Yes — deer eat rhododendrons, particularly in winter, even though the leaves are toxic to ruminants in large amounts. Rhododendrons aren’t a first-choice food, but