Description
Oh My!
I got bored. And Inspired. With Pencil. Oh Boy.
So, in turn, what I drag in front of you today is a random sketch of all the Cervidae (Deer Family) and one Antilocapridae (Antelope-like, though not actually antelope..it complicated) that live in -but are not limited to- North America (Mexico, United States, Canada...etc) .... plus one little buddy that lives nowhere because he doesn't exist.
The only two that live near me (or at least are commonly seen) are the Moose and Whitetail. I love moose... but Caribou may be in close competition for that favorite spot...
Well, I though it'd be cool to share a bit about these guys, so here it goes:
(most info from Wikipedia)
Blacktail Deer
These little guys currently live in a range stretching across the Pacific Northwest of the US, they also have a notable population in British Columbia and some even in southern Alaska. They are smallest of all the deer species, weighing between 90 to 200 pounds. They thrive in the temperate forests of their range.
Whitetail Deer
This deer species is the widest spread, they stretch across all of the US, with the exception of a small portion of the south west. They also are found across much of southern Canada, all of Mexico, and down into central and south America. They also appear in areas of Europe and were introduced to New Zealand. Since they occupy such a large area their size varies, generally the closer to the equator, the smaller they are. They can range from 90 to 400 pounds. They thrive in many environments, hot or cold.
Mule Deer
Named for it's large ears, this deer is native to anywhere west of the Missouri River and more so in the Rocky Mountains. Though they have been found in Argentina. Interestingly, these guys are believed to be a result of interbreeding between the Blacktail and Whitetail deer. These deer carry a unique gait, they can run, but are more often seen "Stotting" or "Pronking" where all four feet come down together. They can weight from 95 to 330 pounds. They have a varying range of preferred environments.
Caribou
In most of the rest of the world these guys are called Reindeer, Since this is an arctic species, their range in in the northernmost reaches of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland, as well as northern Russia and Scandinavia. These guys weight between 180 to 400 pounds. And like I said, This is an Arctic and Subarctic breed.
Elk (Wapiti)
These guys, also called Wapiti, are not to be confused with the Eurasian Elk (Which is a Moose). They range from Western America, Western / Mid Western Canada and Northern Asia. These guys are twice as heavy as the Mule Deer, weighing in at 170 to 730 pounds (depending on the range) Though there is a subspecies called the Roosevelt Elk, found west of the Cascade Range (Cali, Oregon, Washington, and BC and some in Alaska) where the largest weigh from 570 to 1,200 pounds. They love forests and forest edges.
Moose
The largest of all the deer family, these guys only live in the Northern reaches of the US, Canada, and Eurasia. They stand a foot higher form the Elk at 5 to 6 feet at the shoulder and weight from 600 to 1,500 pounds. They are a forest animal.
Pronghorn
Also called the Prong buck or Cabri, This species is native to Western and central America, and a small bit of southern Canada. This commonly considered an Antelope, but it is in fact a from the Antilocapridae family (and is the only non-extinct member of this family), rather then the Bovidae family of antelope that only live in Africa and Eurasia. The difference is their horns, this guy has branches and real antelope do not. They weigh from 75 to 140 pounds. They prefer large open terrain, with drier climates.
Jackalope
This guy is a mythical animal of Noth American folklore, this so called "Fearsome Critter" is described a a jack rabbit with antelope horns or antlers. They are usually told to "live" in the western US, pretty much anywhere the wild Jackrabbit ranges. This myth is believed to have started by earlier Americans seeing rabbits infected with the Shope papilloma virus, which causes hard horn-like growths from various places on the rabbits body. Check it out (Beware, if you have a light stomach you might not wanna look)
Yay Learning!
haha, well I should also add in that the sizes are not to scale of one another. And I know Blacktail are commonly not considered their own species, but rather a Mule Deer subspecies... but I needed another deer to add.
Also, oh my god.. this took forever to piece together. I had to scan it seperately because my scanner is to small.. it sucked and the first time I got it all perfect, CS% decided to spot responding and I hadn't saved.
Anyway...Hope you guys like it!
Refs from google images.
Pencils: H, HB, B, 2B.
Paper: 11x14 drawing paper.