Identifying Deer in Posts

Hey, I'm AV, I'm a guy that identifies deer in posts. This means species of the Cervidae family, i.e. white-tailed deer, reindeer/caribou, elk, muntjacs, etc. Musk deer (Moschidae) and mouse deer/chevrotains (Tragulidae) are not true deer, thus won't be included.

This is just a hobby for me, I've had no formal education. Please keep that in mind if you see an animal incorrectly identified. Polite corrections are welcome.

I will not post images of dead/taxidermied animals, nor animals that are injured or otherwise bloody, including those shedding velvet. This is to avoid triggering others.

My asks/submissions are open if you want to talk about deer or if you'd like to send your own deer pictures or videos (not AI) for identification. Rules:

the photo/video is clear

you include the general region it was taken (Pacific Northwest, for example) or at least the country

the animal is not dead/taxidermied or bloody

You can also tag me in posts, though I may not always see it or know the species lmao

Running on two posts per day queue. TERFs, MAGAs, Nazis, pedophiles/MAPs etc. will be blocked.

Other socials:

Main blog: @gnoempire

iNaturalist: gnoempire

Common questions under the cut, updated as they come

So to start out, my recommendation is just browsing Wikipedia. If you'd like to delve deeper into a species, you can look into the sources listed near the bottom of the page. You'll probably find Valerius Geist's Deer of the World: Their Evolution, Behavior, and Ecology among them -- it's slightly outdated and ridiculously overpriced for a copy, but if you can find it at your local library (or other sources), you should definitely pick it up. Otherwise, encyclopedias of mammals or compendiums of a region's wildlife are also good starting points.

If you're moreso looking for direction on which deer to start with, here are a couple suggestions:

Whitetails (Odocoileus virginianus) are the most well-studied species in North America. If you have a niche question about them, there's probably a reliable answer somewhere.

Sika deer (Cervus nippon) have deep cultural ties in Japan, specifically to Shintoism. They're held sacred as messengers of the gods, especially in Nara Park where harming the deer is prohibited.

Moose (Alces alces) are the largest deer species in the world. They're semi-adapted to the water and can even close their nostrils when submerged.

Does and fawns are pretty straightforward, though you can't really estimate a doe's exact age the way you can with a rutting buck. Always keep in mind antler size/points are not a good indicator of age -- and there's tons of room for error, especially in bucks from 4 to 5!

(Note: Most photo sources lead to hunting sites)

Fawns:

Fawn on the left, mature doe on the right

Young fawns are spotted, but will usually shed out to a solid color after their first winter molt

Smaller than adults

Older fawns have short, square bodies and long, gangly legs

Thin, short necks, often have to bend their front legs a bit to reach the ground

Muzzles are shorter and rounder than those of mature deer

Ears and eyes look huge

Bucks might have tiny, budding antlers by October/November

Stick close to their mothers, less cautious and more playful than adults