California whitetail deer

The **California whitetail deer** (*Odocoileus virginianus californianus*) is a subspecies of white-tailed deer that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across Oregon, Arizona, California, and Nevada to help boost biodiversity. The California whitetail deer can usually grow to be around 68 to 136 kg (150 to 300 lb), but mature bucks over 180 kg (400 lb) have been recorded. California whitetail deer are generalists and can adapt to a wide variety of habitats. Although most often thought of as forest animals depending on relatively small openings and edges, California whitetail deer can equally adapt themselves to life in more open prairie, savanna woodlands, and sage communities. California whitetail deer eat large amounts of food, commonly eating legumes and foraging on other plants, including shoots, leaves, cacti (in deserts), prairie forbs, and grasses. They also eat acorns, fruit, and corn. Their special stomachs allow them to eat some things humans cannot, such as mushrooms and poison ivy. Their diets vary by season according to availability of food sources. They also eat hay, grass, white clover, and other foods they can find in a farm yard. Though almost entirely herbivorous, California whitetail deer have been known to opportunistically feed on nesting songbirds, field mice, and birds trapped in mist nets, if the need arises. A grown California whitetail deer can eat around 2,000 lb (910 kg) of vegetable matter annually. Males compete for the opportunity of breeding females. Sparring among males determines a dominance hierarchy. Bucks attempt to copulate with as many females as possible, losing physical condition, since they rarely eat or rest during the rut. The general geographical trend is for the rut to be shorter in duration at increased latitude. Many factors determine how intense the "rutting season" will be; air temperature is a major one. Any time the temperature rises above 40 °F (4 °C), the males do much less traveling looking for females, else they will be subject to overheating or dehydrating. Another factor for the strength in rutting activity is competition. If numerous males are in a particular area, then they compete more for the females. If fewer males or more females are present, then the selection process will not need to be as competitive. Females enter estrus, colloquially called the rut, in the autumn, normally in late October or early November, triggered mainly by the declining photoperiod. Sexual maturation of females depends on population density, as well as availability of food. Young females often flee from an area heavily populated with males. Some does may be as young as six months when they reach sexual maturity, but the average age of maturity is 18 months. Copulation consists of a brief copulatory jump. Females give birth to two to three spotted young (although four young per mother have been known), known as fawns, in mid- to late spring, generally in May or June. Fawns lose their spots during the first summer and weigh from 44 to 77 lb (20 to 35 kg) by the first winter. Male fawns tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females. For the first four weeks, fawns are hidden in vegetation by their mothers, who nurse them four to five times a day. This strategy keeps scent levels low to avoid predators. After about a month, the fawns are then able to follow their mothers on foraging trips. They are usually weaned after 8–10 weeks, but cases have been seen where mothers have continued to allow nursing long after the fawns have lost their spots (for several months, or until the end of fall) as seen by rehabilitators and other studies. Males leave their mothers after a year and females leave after two. Bucks are generally sexually mature at 1.5 years old and begin to breed even in populations stacked with older bucks. The average lifespan of the California whitetail deer is between 8 and 10 years old, longer than most other white-tailed deer subspecies in the wild, but California whitetail deer in captivity generally live longer, living to be as long as 25 years. The conservation status of the California whitetail deer is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the California whitetail deer's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.