Do you see a big, brown deer with big, brown ears in the high Rocky Mountains? Does it look like it is using a pogo stick when it's running? If so, it is a mule deer! Mule deer are about 4 feet tall at the shoulder. They can get up to about 400 pounds. Mountain lions and coyotes are their natural enemies. They eat buds of flowers, grass, and tender shoots of green plants. Mule deer are only found in North America. Their habitat is the high Rocky Mountains. They snort when excited, and emit a high pitched scream when in danger. They use foot stamping to communicate with each other. Desert mule deer have the largest ears.

Illustration by Tate, age 9

I got my information from the following books: GUIDE TO WESTERN WILDLIFE by Buddy Mays, COLORADO WILDLIFE by Jeff Rennicke, and THE MULE DEER by Mark E. Ahlstrom.

Have you seen a deer that has huge antlers in a herd of 5-20? If so it might be a mule deer. Does it have humungous ears and is it chewing its cud? If so, it is definitley a mule deer. The mule deer has the biggest antlers of all the deer in North America. There are about 500,000 mule deer in North America. Along with the biggest antlers and the biggest population they are the biggest deer in the nation! Somehow they adapt to different habitats quite well. A mule deer eats 10 pounds of grass a day. With the 10 pounds of grass in their stomachs they manage to fit in some buds, twigs and leaves too. The mule deer is amazing!

Book Source: MULE DEER by Mark E. Ahlstrom, THE WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA, Volume 13, 1994, and COLORADO WILDLIFE by Jeff Rennicke.

Illustrated by Stephanie A.