Animalia > Chordata > Mammalia > Artiodactyla > Cervidae > Odocoileus > Odocoileus hemionusOdocoileus hemionus (mule deer)Synonyms: Cariacus ensifer; Cervus hemionus (homotypic); Dama ensifer; Dama hemionus; Odocoileus cascensis; Odocoileus columbianus; Odocoileus ensifer Language: Spanish The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River, and more specifically with the Rocky Mountain region of North America. Mule deer have also been introduced to Argentina. |
Uniqueness Scale: Similiar (0) Unique (100) Uniqueness & Vulnerability Scale: Similiar & Secure (0) Unique & Vulnerable (100) ED Score: 4.99 EDGE Score: 1.79 |
| Adult Weight [1] | 125.664 lbs (57.00 kg) | | Birth Weight [1] | 6.504 lbs (2.95 kg) | | Male Weight [3] | 247.58 lbs (112.30 kg) |  | | Diet [2] | Granivore, Herbivore | | Diet - Plants [2] | 90 % | | Diet - Seeds [2] | 10 % | | Forages - Ground [2] | 100 % | | | Female Maturity [1] | 1 year 3 months | | Male Maturity [1] | 1 year 4 months | | | Gestation [1] | 6 months 27 days | | Litter Size [1] | 2 | | Litters / Year [1] | 1 | | Maximum Longevity [1] | 22 years | | Snout to Vent Length [3] | 5.937 feet (181 cm) | | Speed [4] | 32.01 MPH (14.31 m/s) | | Weaning [1] | 4 months 12 days |
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| Name |
Countries |
Ecozone |
Biome |
Species |
Report |
Climate |
Land
Use |
|
Alaska-St. Elias Range tundra |
United States |
Nearctic |
Tundra |
 |
 |
 |
 |
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Alberta Mountain forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Arizona Mountains forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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Baja California desert |
Mexico |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
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Blue Mountains forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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British Columbia mainland coastal forests |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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California Central Valley grasslands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
|
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|
California coastal sage and chaparral |
Mexico, United States |
Nearctic |
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub |
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|
California interior chaparral and woodlands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub |
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California montane chaparral and woodlands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub |
|
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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|
Cascade Mountains leeward forests |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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|
Central and Southern Cascades forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Central and Southern mixed grasslands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
|
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|
Central British Columbia Mountain forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Central Mexican matorral |
Mexico |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Central Pacific coastal forests |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Central tall grasslands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Chihuahuan desert |
Mexico, United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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|
Colorado Plateau shrublands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Colorado Rockies forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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|
Eastern Cascades forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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Fraser Plateau and Basin complex |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Great Basin montane forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Great Basin shrub steppe |
United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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|
Gulf of California xeric scrub |
Mexico |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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|
Interior Yukon-Alaska alpine tundra |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Tundra |
|
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|
Klamath-Siskiyou forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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|
Meseta Central matorral |
Mexico |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
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|
Mid-Continental Canadian forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Boreal Forests/Taiga |
|
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Mojave desert |
United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
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|
Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
|
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|
Muskwa-Slave Lake forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Boreal Forests/Taiga |
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Nebraska Sand Hills mixed grasslands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
|
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|
North Central Rockies forests |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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Northern California coastal forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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Northern Cordillera forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Boreal Forests/Taiga |
|
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|
Northern Mesoamerican Pacific mangroves |
Mexico |
Neotropic |
Mangroves |
|
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|
Northern mixed grasslands |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
|
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|
Northern Pacific coastal forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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|
Northern short grasslands |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
|
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Northern transitional alpine forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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Okanagan dry forests |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Pacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra |
Canada, United States |
Nearctic |
Tundra |
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Palouse grasslands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Puget lowland forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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San Lucan xeric scrub |
Mexico |
Neotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Sierra de la Laguna dry forests |
Mexico |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests |
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Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests |
Mexico |
Neotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests |
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Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests |
Mexico |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
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Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests |
Mexico, United States |
Nearctic |
Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests |
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Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests |
Mexico, United States |
Nearctic |
Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests |
|
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Sierra Nevada forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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|
Snake-Columbia shrub steppe |
United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
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Sonoran desert |
Mexico, United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
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Sonoran-Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest |
Mexico |
Nearctic |
Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests |
|
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South Central Rockies forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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|
|
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Tamaulipan mezquital |
Mexico, United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
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|
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|
Wasatch and Uinta montane forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Coniferous Forests |
|
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|
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Western short grasslands |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
|
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|
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|
Willamette Valley forests |
United States |
Nearctic |
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests |
|
|
|
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Wyoming Basin shrub steppe |
United States |
Nearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
|
|
|
|
|
Yukon Interior dry forests |
Canada |
Nearctic |
Boreal Forests/Taiga |
|
|
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|
| Name |
IUCN Category |
Area acres |
Location |
Species |
Website |
Climate |
Land Use |
|
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument |
V |
4731 |
Nebraska, United States |
|
 |
|
|
|
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA |
III |
184543 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Arches National Park |
II |
76539 |
Utah, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Badlands National Park |
II |
178535 |
South Dakota, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Bandelier National Monument |
V |
8107 |
New Mexico, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Banff National Park |
II |
1690912 |
Alberta, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Beaver Creek Biosphere Reserve |
|
275028 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Big Bend Biosphere Reserve National Park |
II |
815561 |
Texas, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area |
V |
36286 |
Montana, Wyoming, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park |
II |
12551 |
Colorado, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
California Coast Ranges Biosphere Reserve |
|
153447 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Canyonlands National Park |
II |
335430 |
Utah, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Capital Reef National Park |
II |
243722 |
Utah, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Carlsbad Caverns National Park |
II |
15448 |
New Mexico, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Carrizo Plain Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve |
Ia |
7550 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve |
|
17423 |
Oregon, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Cedar Breaks National Monument |
III |
6111 |
Utah, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Central Plains Biosphere Reserve |
|
15345 |
United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Channel Islands National Park |
II |
139010 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Colorado National Monument |
III |
20420 |
Colorado, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Coram Biosphere Reserve |
|
7460 |
Montana, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Coronado National Monument National Memorial |
III |
4360 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Cosumnes River Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve |
Ia |
2138 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Craters of the Moon National Monument |
V |
690996 |
Idaho, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Death Valley National Park |
II |
762125 |
California, Nevada, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Dinosaur National Monument |
III |
203307 |
Colorado, Utah, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Dye Creek Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve |
Ia |
38152 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
El Malpais National Monument |
III |
109980 |
New Mexico, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Elk Island National Park |
II |
47171 |
Alberta, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Fraser Biosphere Reserve |
|
23050 |
Colorado, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve |
Ib |
591068 |
Alaska, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Glacier National Park |
II |
953799 |
Montana, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Golden Gate National Recreation Area |
V |
26135 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Grand Canyon National Park |
II |
1210128 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Grand Teton National Park |
II |
231724 |
Wyoming, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Grasslands National Park |
II |
128635 |
Saskatchewan, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Great Basin National Park |
II |
77367 |
Nevada, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Guadalupe Mountains National Park |
II |
46114 |
Texas, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Gulf Islands National Park National Park Reserve |
II |
8785 |
British Columbia, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve |
II |
366714 |
British Columbia, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
H.J. Andrews Biosphere Reserve |
|
15815 |
Oregon, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Heath and Marjorie Angelo Coast Range Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve |
Ia |
7008 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Jasper National Park |
II |
2776809 |
Alberta, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Jornada Biosphere Reserve |
Ib |
30913 |
New Mexico, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Joshua Tree National Park |
II |
305076 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Kluane National Park and Reserve National Park Reserve |
II |
5463436 |
Yukon, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Knife River Indian Villages National Hist. Site National Historic Site |
III |
1756 |
North Dakota, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Konza Prairie Biosphere Reserve |
|
8617 |
Kansas, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Kootenay National Park |
II |
341762 |
British Columbia, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area |
II |
606367 |
Washington, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Lake Mead National Recreation Area |
V |
670229 |
Arizona, Nevada, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area |
V |
103172 |
Washington, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Lassen Volcanic National Park |
II |
29388 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Lava Beds National Monument |
III |
20002 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
McCloud River Preserve Conservation Easement |
|
1693 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve |
|
5901 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve |
|
293047 |
British Columbia, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Mount Rainier National Park |
II |
235186 |
Washington, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Mount Tamalpais State Park |
|
6365 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Nahanni National Park Reserve |
II |
1309627 |
Northwest Territories, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Natural Bridges National Monument |
III |
7412 |
Utah, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Nez Perce National Historical Park |
V |
2076 |
Idaho, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Nipomo Dunes Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve |
Ia |
3725 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Niwot Ridge Biosphere Reserve |
|
2965 |
Colorado, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Olympic Biosphere Reserve |
II |
922805 |
Washington, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Organ Pipe Cactus Biosphere Reserve |
|
327376 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve |
II |
137900 |
British Columbia, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Pecos National Historical Park |
V |
6539 |
New Mexico, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Petrified Forest National Park |
II |
44522 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center |
|
6101 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Pinnacles National Monument |
V |
2869 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Point Reyes National Seashore |
II |
27068 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Prince Albert National Park |
II |
976762 |
Saskatchewan, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Redwood National Park |
II |
77867 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Reserva Nacional de Fauna Ulla Ulla National Fauna Reserve |
|
559837 |
Bolivia |
|
|
|
|
|
Reserva de Mapimi Biosphere Reserve |
VI |
849819 |
Chihuahua, Mexico |
|
|
|
|
|
Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo Biosphere Reserve |
|
353161 |
Mexico |
|
|
|
|
|
Reserva de la Biosfera El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve |
VI |
6176727 |
Mexico |
|
|
|
|
|
Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve |
II |
762028 |
Manitoba, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Rocky Mountain Biosphere Reserve |
II |
239938 |
Colorado, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Saguaro National Park |
II |
11686 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
San Dimas Biosphere Reserve |
|
17161 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
San Francisco Peninsular Watershed County Wildlife Refuge or Management Area |
|
30320 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
San Joaquin Biosphere Reserve |
|
4527 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area |
V |
38440 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Scotts Bluff National Monument |
V |
3185 |
Nebraska, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Sequoia and Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve |
II |
172261 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Sevilleta LTER Site Long Term Ecological Research |
IV |
228335 |
New Mexico, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument |
V |
3049 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Walnut Canyon National Monument |
V |
3386 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Waterton Biosphere Reserve |
II |
121459 |
Alberta, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Whiskey-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area |
V |
197791 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
White Sands National Monument |
III |
139922 |
New Mexico, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Wind Cave National Park |
II |
29471 |
South Dakota, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Wood Buffalo National Park |
II |
11038545 |
Alberta, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Wupatki National Monument |
III |
36098 |
Arizona, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Yellowstone Biosphere Reserve |
II |
2196863 |
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Yoho National Park |
II |
317576 |
British Columbia, Canada |
|
|
|
|
|
Yosemite National Park |
II |
95209 |
California, United States |
|
|
|
|
|
Zion National Park |
II |
135667 |
Utah, United States |
|
|
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Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774 ♦ 2Hamish Wilman, Jonathan Belmaker, Jennifer Simpson, Carolina de la Rosa, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, and Walter Jetz. 2014. EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95:2027 ♦ 3Nathan P. Myhrvold, Elita Baldridge, Benjamin Chan, Dhileep Sivam, Daniel L. Freeman, and S. K. Morgan Ernest. 2015. An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96:3109 ♦ 4Wikipedia licensed under a Creative Commons License♦ 5Dormancy and endozoochorous dispersal of Opuntia rastrera seeds in the southern Chihuahuan Desert, Maria del Carmen Mandujano, Jordan Golubov & Carlos Montaña, Journal of Arid Environments (1997) 36: 259266 ♦ 6National Geographic Magazine - May 2016 - Yellowstone - The Carnivore Comeback ♦ 7Odocoileus hemionus, Allen E. Anderson and Olof C. Wallmo, Mammalian Species No. 219, pp. 1-9 (1984) ♦ 8Jorrit H. Poelen, James D. Simons and Chris J. Mungall. (2014). Global Biotic Interactions: An open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics. ♦ 9Nunn, C. L., and S. Altizer. 2005. The Global Mammal Parasite Database: An Online Resource for Infectious Disease Records in Wild Primates. Evolutionary Anthroplogy 14:1-2. ♦ 10Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London ♦ 11International Flea DatabaseEcoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 Wildfinder Database |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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