COLUMBIAN WHITE-TAILED DEER 



Odocoileus virginianus leucurus [Douglas] 



KINGDOM Animalia 



CLASS Mammalia 



ORDER Artiodactyla 



FAMILY Cervidae 



OTHER COMMON 



NAMES Pacific white-tailed deer, 



tideland deer, cotton-tail deer 



DATE 



Entered into SWIS To be determined 



Updates 8 Nov. 1978 



LEGAL STATUS 



Federal . . .Endangered (32 FR 4001, 11 March 

 1967). 



States Endangered: Oregon, Washington. 



REASONS FOR CURRENT STATUS 



The Columbian white-tailed deer was once 

 abundant in the low and moist prairie habitat of 

 the Willamette River Valley of Oregon and north- 

 ward across the Columbia River into the river 

 valleys of southern Washington (Cowan 1936, 

 Gavin 1979). Supression of burning by Indians 

 and conversion of land for agricultural uses have 

 eliminated the native grass-herb association upon 

 which the deer depended. Drainage of beaver 

 ponds and their accompanying microenvironment 

 may also have eliminated essential habitat (Gavin 

 1978). These deer were also shot for food and 

 sport until early in this century, by which time 

 they were extirpated from most of their former 

 range. 



PRIORITY INDEX 



Not assigned. 



