HERBIVORES
Herbivores are animals that do not eat meat.
FOODS DEER EAT:
Summer Food: Green Plants
Fall Food: Acorns, fruits and nuts Winter: Twigs (fcps.edu) |
These deer consume poison ivy and poison oak because they have a unique and special stomach. This species has a four chambered stomach, allowing it to feed on many things other mammals cannot (Canadian Geographic, n.d.). This allows the deer to digest what is known as cellulose, effectively, from the vegetation they eat. The deer actually consume the food twice. The food travels through the rumen but then the food is taken back to the mouth for them to chew again (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, n.d.).
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Food plots are another source of food for White-Tailed Deer. These food plots, created by sportsman or nature enthusiasts, are developed incorporating specific types of plants that attract White-Tailed Deer. While providing food for the deer, these food plots are not naturally created but do offer some nutrients necessary to supplement their daily dietary needs. According to a recent study at the University of Illinois Extension in Jackson County food plots are a better way for sportsman or nature enthusiasts to provide food for this species of deer instead of other attractants such as salt blocks and mineral blocks. A recent discovery of chronic wasting disease has placed a ban on most other sources, other than food plots (Billingsley, n.d.).