Deer are hoofed mammals belonging to the family Cervidae, characterized by the presence of deciduous antlers in most males (and in both sexes of Rangifer), a specialized ruminant digestive system with a multi-chambered stomach, and typically slender limbs adapted for cursorial locomotion. Cervids exhibit a global distribution across much of the Northern Hemisphere and parts of the Southern Hemisphere, occupying diverse habitats from forests to tundra. They are primarily herbivorous, feeding on grasses, forbs, leaves, and twigs, and play key ecological roles as large herbivores influencing vegetation structure, nutrient cycling, and predator-prey dynamics.
A study by researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry indicates that if lichen continues to decline across the Arctic, caribou populations could struggle to survive the winter.
Plants & Animals
Apr 8, 2026
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When a wolf pack runs down its prey, the first on the scene is often the raven. Even before the predators have had time to dig in, the ravens are already in line, waiting to take advantage of the odd scrap of meat that becomes ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 12, 2026
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Adaptation is essential for survival. Across species, it occurs over many generations through evolution and natural selection. Individual animals, however, can also adapt within their own lifetimes—through learning. For many ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2026
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Their icy hunting grounds are rapidly shrinking, but polar bears in Norway's remote Svalbard archipelago have defied the odds by bulking up instead of wasting away, a study said Thursday.
Plants & Animals
Feb 28, 2026
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Strong social networking plays an important role in human relationships. New research on female red deer shows that those bonds are also crucial for their reproductive success and survival. The study, which looked at more ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 19, 2026
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At high densities, white-tailed deer inhibit growth of trees but increase the overall diversity of smaller plant and weed species, according to a long-term study published recently. The work is published in the journal PLOS ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 16, 2026
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It was the image that launched a cultural icon. In 1967, in the northern Californian woods, a seven foot tall, ape-like creature covered in black fur and walking upright was captured on camera, at one point turning around ...
Other
Feb 12, 2026
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California wildlife officials have approved a plan to eradicate Catalina Island's entire deer population as part of a broader effort to restore the island ecosystem, sparking fierce opposition from an unusual coalition of ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 4, 2026
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A debilitating hoof disease affecting elk herds across the Pacific Northwest appears to be driven not by a single pathogen but by multiple bacterial species working together, according to a study led by researchers in Washington ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 2, 2026
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A recent review of over 312 studies has identified dozens of unique uses of roadkill in scientific research. The review, published in Biology Letters, discusses the advantages of using roadkill instead of live wildlife and ...
