The type of deer you'll find in Joshua Tree National Park!
Mule Deer have large ears that move constantly and independently, from whence they get their name, "Mule" or "Burro Deer." They do not run as other deer, but have a peculiar and distinctive bounding leap (stotting) over distances up to eight yards, with all four feet coming down together. In this fashion, they can reach a speed of 45 m.p.h. for short periods.
This stocky deer with sturdy legs is 4 to 6-1/2 feet in length and 3 to 3-1/2 feet high at the shoulder. During the summer, the coat on its upper body is yellow- or reddish-brown, while in winter more gray. The throat patch, rump patch, inside ears and inside legs are white with lower portions running cream to tan. A dark V-shaped mark, extending from a point between the eyes upward and laterally is characteristic of all Mule Deer but is more conspicuous in males. Males are larger than females. The bucks' antlers, which start growth in spring and are shed around December each year, are high and branch forward, forking equally into 2 tines with a spread up to 4 feet.
The Mule Deer is slower and less colorful than the White-tailed Deer, but its pastel, gray-buff color provides a physical adaptation to the desert environment which disguises it from predators like the Mountain Lion, the Coyote, and the eagle who will swoop down on a fawn.
Mule Deer have no canine teeth and, like the cow, have a multi-part stomach, the first two chambers of which act as temporary storage bins. Food stored here can be digested later when the deer chews its cud.
It is not uncommon for us to see Mule Deers on our Joshua Tree Adventure although they do blend in well so it is important to keep alert and look for movement!
This stocky deer with sturdy legs is 4 to 6-1/2 feet in length and 3 to 3-1/2 feet high at the shoulder. During the summer, the coat on its upper body is yellow- or reddish-brown, while in winter more gray. The throat patch, rump patch, inside ears and inside legs are white with lower portions running cream to tan. A dark V-shaped mark, extending from a point between the eyes upward and laterally is characteristic of all Mule Deer but is more conspicuous in males. Males are larger than females. The bucks' antlers, which start growth in spring and are shed around December each year, are high and branch forward, forking equally into 2 tines with a spread up to 4 feet.
The Mule Deer is slower and less colorful than the White-tailed Deer, but its pastel, gray-buff color provides a physical adaptation to the desert environment which disguises it from predators like the Mountain Lion, the Coyote, and the eagle who will swoop down on a fawn.
Mule Deer have no canine teeth and, like the cow, have a multi-part stomach, the first two chambers of which act as temporary storage bins. Food stored here can be digested later when the deer chews its cud.
It is not uncommon for us to see Mule Deers on our Joshua Tree Adventure although they do blend in well so it is important to keep alert and look for movement!
Posted by Mark Farley at 1/19/2010 2:22 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Joshua Tree National Park Hummer Adventures Palm Springs Tours Elite Land Tours Palm Springs Attractions Coachella Valley Yucca Valley
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Joshua Tree National Park Hummer Adventures Palm Springs Tours Elite Land Tours Palm Springs Attractions Coachella Valley Yucca Valley
The Deer is one of my favorite
animals! How anyone can hunt one down
and shoot it is beyond me unless, they do not have any food to eat.
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