I’ve got questions.
Wikipedia’s got answers.
The Winter Coat
Did I see elk on Thursday or did I see deer? It’s unclear. But just because a deer is molting doesn’t mean it isn’t a deer. Deer have a winter coat! Then, they shed it. And it doesn’t look great when it happens.
There Are a Lot of Deer
We aren’t going to worry about the ones outside of North America. Too many deer for me!
Elk Are Deer
Crap. Even if I did see elk on Thursday, I also saw deer.
Five species of deer in North America:
- Moose! (I know, also deer, wild)
- Elk
- Caribou/Reindeer (Yeah, same thing, I always forget that too)
- White-Tailed Deer
- Mule Deer
White-Tailed Deer vs. Mule Deer
Let’s talk about the Americans.
White-tailed deer are all over the United States, stretching west to the Rockies but also finding some homes up in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and pockets of the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. (Plus some fringy areas around those core areas—if you know deer, you know how they can’t be confined to the areas you want them, am I right!!) Mule deer pick up the job just before the Rockies, handle most of the responsibilities around the coast, are prevalent in the western deserts, and evidently stay out of the central parts of California? I don’t know. Check this map out. I think we’re seeing the same thing.
I thought white-tailed deer were bigger than mule deer, but The Internet is fighting me on that. It sounds like there are wide ranges, but on the average, mule deer are bigger. Unfortunately for the haters, this is backfiring, because I’m now telling myself that my hometown of Crystal Lake, Illinois had an abnormally giant population of white-tailed deer. I remember seeing mule deer in Zion in 2016 and asking my friend what was up with all the little bitch deer. (It was 2016! I could say that!) My friend said mule deer were smaller. I’m starting to think we were just seeing deer teens.
One big thing about both these deer: They spread beyond the U.S. and Canada. Mule deer go into Mexico. White-tailed deer, far more accomplished regardless of size, stretch all the way to Bolivia. Maybe even a touch of Chile? Let’s look at the map again. I think there’s some Chile on that map. At least one deer, you know? Walked in, said some shit about Pinochet, got out? That kind of thing.
Oh, also: Multiple subspecies of each. Same species, though. What is a subspecies, exactly? It feels like cheating.
What About Elk?
What about ‘em?
