Almost as common as squirrels, the white-tailed deer adapt to changes in their environment. I know I've seen them in the woods and the on the outskirts of cities. It doesn't seem to affect their numbers. In fact, when I told the kids deer were hunted by man, they were confused. I told them their natural predators were not as numerous and without a predator, there would be too many deer around. So man created laws that allowed a season or part of the year in which hunters could legally kill deer.
The most interesting fact we found about deer is that their babies, called fawns, have spots when they are born. That is their best defense. And since the fawns rest most of the time lying in the grass, their spots hide them well. When a stranger comes around, the mother leaves to distract the threat, hopefully luring them away from the fawn.
The most memorable thing about deer for the kids is the white tail. When they see the tail up and the white showing, they say, "Danger! Danger!" They know it tells the other deer to be aware too!
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