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White-tailed deer (buck): photo by Wyoming_Jackrabbit on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike).
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was designated the official state mammal of Nebraska in 1981. An animal of incredible beauty and power, white-tailed deer are able to run up to 40 miles per hour, jump 9 foot fences, and swim 13 miles per hour. The white underside of the deer's tail waves when running and is flashed as a warning when danger is sensed. Both native Americans and settlers relied on the white-tailed deer for buckskin and food.
Eleven states have designated the white-tailed deer as a state symbol: Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
