In the picture above is a whitetail doe, Odocoileus virginianus, in a woodland clearing. This picture was taken in mid-September and shows the light brown pelage of spring and summer.

In the second picture, you see another whitetail doe whose pelage has transitioned to the greyish winter coloration. This picture was taken in early November of the same year and same locality. The deer, however, were different individuals.

Aside from the beauty of the scenes and the subjects, what can be learned here is that color transition in whitetails seems to happen within a fairly short time.

The post Do Whitetails Turn Gray by November? appeared first on GJM Nature Media.

The doe above shows some variation in distribution of white and brown hairs on her summer pelage. This is an example of an inherited change which if successful will rise in frequency of occurrence in the deer population.

The third deer is a doe displaying the gray shades of the winter coat. Anyone who has been in the Texas deciduous forests during winter can see how gray would be an advantage for concealment.

For an animal as large and as tasty to predators, whitetail deer benefit from protective coloration. Females need to be unseen especially when they have fawns or adolescents with them.

The post Whitetail Deer Change Colors with the Seasons appeared first on GJM Nature Media.