Illinois schoolchildren voted the white-tailed deer as the state animal in 1980. An animal of incredible beauty and power, white-tailed deer are able to run up to 40 miles per hour, jump 9 foot fences, and swim 13 miles per hour. The white underside of the deer's tail waves when running and is flashed as a warning when danger is sensed. Both native Americans and settlers relied on the white-tailed deer for buckskin and food.

White-tailed deer buck walking in open field - photo courtesy
USDA ARS Image Gallery: Animals: Livestock, Fish and Wildife

Eleven states have designated the white-tailed deer as a state symbol: Arkansas - Illinois - Michigan - Mississippi - Nebraska - New Hampshire - Ohio - Oklahoma - Pennsylvania - South Carolina - Wisconsin.

Spotted newborn white-tailed deer fawn rests on dry grass
photo by Tom Stehn / USFWS Digital Library