During 2000, it was re-introduced to the House ‘Viveros, studies center belonging to the Ecological Foundation ‘Gabriel Arango Restrepo located in ‘Rio Blanco’, a group of white tail deer, in order to let the visitors know a different mammal species extinct in the region.

The deer Odocoileus Virginianus, is also called ‘Caramerudo’, ‘de cola blanca’- white tail, ‘Llanero’, Horns deer, is a daily and nocturnal mammal, usually found lonely or belonging to small groups; a terrestrial specie that eats fruits and flowers. It is an animal that because of its big horns, its high and its big head is not able to run in areas of great vegetation.

This kind of animal shows sexual dimorphism, female do not have horns while male, at age of six months, begin to show a sprout which change into big horns covered by a very soft kind of skin.

Deer have the same anatomical and physiological four stomachs composition. After food intake, they spend a lot of time ruminating the food. It is also interesting to observe the glands located at the legs, the superior at the tarsus level, external face, which secret odorous substances that males use to delimit their territory. When animals are alert, in defense position, they hit the soil with the front legs to let the odor go out, which together with the sound they make , intend to make the intruder respect them, no matter the species. If the deer get scared, it run away quickly raising their tail and showing its white inner color. This is why it is known as the white tail dear.

Horns:
Are extensions of the skull composed by a solid cylindrical hole and supported by a pedicel.

Geographical distribution:
These animals are found in North-America, from Vancouver, Hudson Bay, and New Scotia, going south through Central America into Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana to the North-west side of Brazil and by the south to Peru (it is not found in Bolivia and the North of Chile).

Ecological Distribution:
Savanna plateaus and Andean valleys. Also found in the natural savannas of the medium and warm thermal levels. Living in places covered by dense stubble, mixed with open places and even in desserts.

Habits:
Deer are used to live both in groups and alone, depending on the season and directly related to the reproduction times.

After the breeding, time during which it is possible to see a male with some females, it is usual to observe small groups with two or more females and their offspring. These groups remain together until the new born animals are ready to depend on themselves.

Generally, the females have two deliveries but it’s not uncommon to see just one. The new- born, not matter the sub-kind –either gray or bay, shows white spots during the first months of development.

Despite deer spend a lot of time in the savannas or in open places, most of their food is reached in the stubbles or open forest and it consists on a wide variety of brunches and sprouts from the trees and also some fruits. Of course, the land is important in the nourishment but it is not as important as currently thought.