Classification and Taxonomy Refresher - White-tailed Deer

 While we will only be exploring to the Genus level of identification, the target species was white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) given their environmental impact towards sites in Fairfax County.

 

Domain: Eukaryota – Organisms who have a nuclear envelope enclose their cellular nucleus. While not all Eukaryotes are multicellular, all multicellular organisms are found in Eukaryota.

Kingdom:    Animalia  - Multicellular organisms that usually consume organic materials, respire aerobically, are capable of movement, and utilize a blastula during embryonic development.
Phylum:    Chordata - animals that possess the following at some point during their development: a notochord, a dorsal neural tube, pharyngeal slits, a post-anal tail, and an endostyle.
Class:    Mammalia – Mammals are identified through their ability for females to produce milk for feeding their young, a neocortex, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones.
Order:    Artiodactyla – Known as the even-toed ungulates, these mammals are characterized through how weight is distributed through their toes. This order bears weight equally on the third and fourth toes.
Family:    Cervidae – Hoofed ruminant mammals that have most males (water deer do not) and female reindeer, grow and shed antlers annually.
Subfamily:    Capreolinae - These Cervidae posses a different ankle structure from the rest of the family, as they maintain their distal lateral metacarpals
Genus:    Odocoileus – Native to the Americas, this genus of medium-sized deer contains three species that differ in the form of their antlers and some skull features.


(Information is summarized from Wikipedia and The University of Texas at El Paso)

https://www.utep.edu/leb/pleistnm/taxaMamm/Odocoileus.htm

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