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.
Too many white-tailed deer are damaging forests in the U.S. by eating young plants before they can grow, limiting forest regeneration and damaging biodiversity. To mitigate this challenge, the Pennsylvania Game Commission ...
Ecology
May 6, 2026
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Each animal species has an optimal temperature at which it can metabolize food and its immune system can best fight off pathogens.
Plants & Animals
Apr 30, 2026
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Graceful, brown-eyed, and a staple of local folklore, the roe deer is one of Romania's most iconic forest dwellers. But behind the serene image of these animals lies a hidden crisis: a new study reveals the roe deer is the ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 30, 2026
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Scientists have used an online game to discover the secrets of animal camouflage—such as why tigers have stripes. The study, by the universities of Exeter and Bristol, reveals that high-contrast markings like tiger stripes ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 29, 2026
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Wolves on a remote island in Lake Superior appear to be thriving, but they're making deep dents in the moose population that they rely on as a leading food source, according to a report released Monday.
Ecology
Apr 27, 2026
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"Dogs at Chernobyl are now genetically distinct … thanks to years of exposure to ionizing radiation, study finds."
Ecology
Apr 26, 2026
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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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