# Mule deer (*Odocoileus hemionus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/mule-deer  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a mammal in the family Cervidae, subfamily Capreolinae, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 54.21 kg and reported weights up to 112.3 kg. Gestation lasts 207 days, it has 1 litter per year with 1.6 young per litter, and it reaches sexual maturity at 1.3 years. The mule deer is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category, and its lifespan is given as 22 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 54.2 kg – 112.3 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 22 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 207 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.62 |
| Age at maturity | 15.7 months – 16.5 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Cervidae
- genus: Odocoileus
- species: *Odocoileus hemionus* (Rafinesque, 1817)

Synonyms: *Cervus hemionus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the mule deer?

The mule deer is a mammal in the family Cervidae and the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial animal.

### How heavy is a mule deer?

An adult mule deer has a representative body mass of 54.21 kg. Our sources report weights up to 112.3 kg.

### What does a mule deer eat?

The mule deer is a herbivore.

### Is the mule deer endangered?

No. The mule deer is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a mule deer live?

The lifespan of the mule deer is given as 22 years.

### How many young does a mule deer have?

The mule deer has 1.6 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation period of 207 days.

### When does a mule deer reach sexual maturity?

The mule deer reaches sexual maturity at 490.5 days (1.3 years), with reported values from 478 to 503 days.

### What is the scientific name of the mule deer and who named it?

The scientific name of the mule deer is Odocoileus hemionus, with the authority written as (Rafinesque, 1817).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/mule-deer