The White Tailed Deer's Digestive System
The Digestive Path
Deers are what is called ruminant animals which means that they have four stomach chambers, this is so they can eat large amounts of food (and store it) then digest it later. The deer can completely fill its stomach in one to two hours of grazing, they must because the food they eat isn't high in nutrients, so they must consume as much as possible. The food first goes to the first stomach where it is broken down by microorganisms that break down the fibers, cellulose, and other materials. About forty percent of the deers energy comes from the acids absorbed through the stomach walls of its first stomach. After, it spits up its food (which is called "cud") and eats it again to further break it down. It then goes to the second stomach, after it goes to the third and fourth where it absorbs even more nutrients. The food goes through the small intestine where it is reduced to the least amount possible (all the excess nutrients are absorbed) and then it goes to the large intestine, where all the water is absorbed. Then the deer expels the waste from its body.
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How does the White Tailed Deer obtain Oxygen?
The White Tailed Deer obtains oxygen through their nostrils and mouth. They breathe much like we do in fact.
The White Tailed Deers Digestive System
All mammals need oxygen to survive, and they obtain oxygen by breathing in air/ By breathing in air, they are not only breathing in oxygen, but they are also breathing in carbon dioxide (as well as many other gases). In this case, carbon dioxide is seen as a waste product, so it needs to be filtered out. The way that they do it is exhaling, by exhaling they are expelling the carbon dioxide from their body. Once the oxygen is in their body, it gets carried by the blood to all the organs, muscles, etc. Since the White Tailed Deer live above ground and on land, they obtain their oxygen from the air around them. Since air is all around them, they do not need to go looking for it, or seek it in any way. Their digestive system uses the mouth, the nostrils, the trachea, the lungs and the diaphragm to obtain the amount of oxygen needed.
The White Tailed Deer's Reproductive System
White tailed deer females reach sexual maturity typically between 1-2 years of age and at a time determined by a number of factors; two of which are population density, and the amount of food nearby. These factors apply to males as well, but they typically sexually mature at age 1- 1 1/2 The reproductive anatomy of a female deer consists of the ovaries, the uterine horn, the cervix, the bladder, the vestibule, the vulva, the vagina, and the uterine body. The organs the male deer have to reproduce are the penis, the urethra, the testes, the epididymus, the prostate gland, the vas deferens, and the rectum. Male deer do not usually stay and look after their young (although it has happened on some rare occasions) but they do however have very strong glands that are located on their lower-armpit area and they rub them against trees,etc to "mark their territory." These glands produce incredibly strong smells (some even detectable by humans) and they use them to tell other males that they frequent the area and this is their territory as are the females within it. The white tailed deer has cells containing 70 chromosomes, and get pregnant by internal fertilization (like humans) where the male injects his sperm into the female. The young deer typically spend about a year in the womb although it can vary based on the amount of food in the area. Male deer are expected to live up to 1-2 years in the wild (they are widely hunted for their antlers) and the females typically live for up to 2-3 years in the wild; however, in enclosed environments (such as a zoo, etc.) deer can live for about 18 years (on average). For each litter the doe has, she can produce up to three fawns, and she is extremely protective over them ("they have even been known to eat their young's scat -poop- to ensure that no predators find their hiding spot.
Sources
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/whitetaileddeer.htm
http://www.suwanneeriverranch.com/WTinfoDdigestion.htm
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/parr_jaco/nutrition.htm
http://www.suwanneeriverranch.com/WTinfoDdigestion.htm
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/parr_jaco/nutrition.htm