Deer

The white-tailed deer, or Virginia deer, with tined antlers and a tail with a prominent white underside, is found in most parts of the United States as well as from Alaska to Bolivia. The mule deer and the black-tailed deer, now considered of the same species as mule deer, are confined to the western United States. The American elk, or wapiti, of southern Canada and the northern United States is called red deer in Europe and Asia. The moose ranges through northern North America; in northern Europe it is known as elk. See also Fallow Deer; Muntjac; Sambar.

Musk, which comes from a gland on the abdomen of the musk deer, is used in medicines and perfumes. Deerskin is used for shoes, boots, and gloves, and antlers are made into buttons and knife handles. Deer are hunted for sport and for their meat, which is called venison.

The Saami of Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula of Russia and other nomadic peoples of northern Asia use reindeer for food, clothing, and transport. The caribou, a reindeer variant in North America, is not domesticated or herded as is the case in Europe but is nevertheless important to the Inuit. Most commercial venison in the United States is imported from New Zealand. Deer were originally brought there by European settlers, and the deer population rose rapidly, causing great environmental damage. They were controlled by hunting and poisoning until the concept of deer farming arose in the 1960s. Deer farms in New Zealand number more than 3500, with more than 400,000 deer in all.

Scientific classification: Deer make up the family Cervidae of the order Artiodactyla. The European elk, or moose, is classified as Alces alces. South American pudus make up the genus Pudu, and musk deer the genus Moschus. The Chinese water deer is classified as Hydropotes inermis, and the caribou, or reindeer, as Rangifer tarandus. The red deer make up the genus Cervus, and the roe deer the genus Capreolus. The white-tailed deer, or Virginia deer, is classified as Odocoileus virginianus; the mule, or black-tailed, deer as Odocoileus hemionus; and the American elk, or wapiti, as Cervus elaphus.