Deer Moms to the Rescue

Like human moms, female mule deer (above) and whitetail deer leap to the rescue when their fawns cry for help. But new research shows they'll also jump into action when they hear a foreign fawn's call—even one from a different specie.

The study showed that recorded distress calls of fawns, similar to responses caused by coyote attacks, caused mule deer mothers to come to the rescue even when their own fawns stood next to them. White moms, however, only responded only to their own species when they could not see their fawn.

As a result, whitetail fawns are less protected than mule deer fawns—and may play a big role in their higher susceptibility to being eaten by a predator. The results are detailed in this month’s issue of Animal Behaviour.

—LiveScience Staff

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Credit: National Park Service