Mule Deer Moms Rescue Other Fawns

A new study from the University of Alberta and the University of Lethbridge shows that mule deer females, even those who are not mothers, respond to the recorded distress calls of other fawn species, as well as their own. An intriguing study of mule deer and whitetail deer showed that both species responded to the recorded distress calls of fawns, similar to the responses elicited when coyotes attack fawns, with mule deer mothers responding to both whitetail and mule deer calls, even when their own fawn stood next to them. In contrast, the whitetail mothers responded only to their own species' call, and only when they could not see their own fawn.