Cloven-Hooved Mammals
(Artiodactyla)
Most of the world's species of large land mammals are of the order Artiodactyla (349 species), which includes such familiar animals as sheep, goats, camels, pigs, cows, deer, giraffes, and antelopes. Artiodactyls are ungulates with an even number of functional toes on each foot. As beasts of burden and as sources of meat, hair, and leather, artiodactyls have assumed important roles in many cultures around the world. Of the 10 families of Artiodactyla, only the Cervidae and Suidae are represented in the wild in Alabama.
White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Observed in the Park
The White-Tailed Deer (also known as the Virginia Deer), species virginianus of the genus Odocoileus (subfamily Capreolinae of the family Cervidae), is a common sighting throughout Alabama and many have been observed within the Odyssey Nature Park.
seasonal molts produce two distinctly different coats. The summer coat consists of short, thin hairs that are reddish-brown in color. The winter coat consists of longer, hollow grayish brown hairs over a short wooly undercoat. The belly, chest, throat, and chin are white throughout the year. From birth to 3-4 months old, fawns are reddish-brown with white spots that help to conceal them from predators. Aberrant color phases, such as albino, melanistic, and piebald are not uncommon in Alabama. Deer have excellent senses of smell and hearing and have numerous vocalizations, including various grunts, bawls, mews, whines, wheezes, and snorts. Bucks typically grow larger antlers each year until antler size peaks at around five to seven years old. Antler size and shape are highly variable and depend on age, nutrition, and genetics. In the early 1900s, it was estimated only about 2,000 deer existed in the entire state. After decades of restocking and management efforts, Alabama’s deer population was estimated at 1.75 million animals in 2000. In fact, many areas in Alabama are overpopulated with deer and have been for many years. As a result, crop damage, deer/vehicle collisions, and other negative deer/human interactions have become more common. An average-sized deer consumes more than a ton of forage per year. Deer are ruminants (cud-chewers), and like cattle, have a compound, four-chambered stomach. Deer feed on the leaves, twigs, fruit, and shoots of a variety of trees, shrubs, and vines. Deer also feed on many weeds, grasses, agricultural plantings, and several species of fungi. Hard mast (acorns, etc.) is highly preferred when available.
Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)
Wild Boar, or feral swine, are non-native descendants of domestic stock brought to the Southeast centuries ago by Spanish explorers. Hogs that escaped or were released adapted readily to the wild and prospered in a wide variety of habitats. Feral swine are hoofed mammals, generally stocky, with short legs, long snouts, and four continually-growing canine teeth (tusks) that self-sharpen from movement of the upper and lower jaw. Feral swine typically have solid-colored black, grey,
or reddish-brown hair either in solid or mottled patterns across the body. Feral swine are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders with seasonal diets consisting of grasses and forbs in the spring, fruits in the summer and fall, along with roots, tubers, and invertebrates throughout the year. Agricultural row crops, nests of ground nesting birds like turkey and quail, carrion, deer fawns, and turkey poults will also be consumed if the opportunity is presented. Acorns are a preferred food source for feral swine in the fall. Voracious appetites of feral swine combined with large home ranges cause direct competition with native game animals for this valuable food source. Feral swine breed year round with peaks in the breeding cycle during fall and spring. Females are sexually mature at six months, but typically begin breeding at one year of age. Gestation lasts 115 days with an average of two litters per year. Litter size ranges from four to 14 with an equal sex ratio. Litters are dropped in a nest constructed of grasses and other vegetation. Adult hogs have high survival rates due to a lack of natural predators in most areas. Humans are the main predators of feral swine, as hunting of the species is very popular. Due to a high reproductive rate and a lack of natural predators, feral swine are quickly becoming a huge nuisance problem in the United States, causing millions of dollars in damage to agricultural crops, pastures, timber, and wildlife openings. Considered a direct and aggressive competitor with native wildlife and destroyer of natural plant communities of the state. Every opportunity for eradication should be undertaken.