In most of America, the white-tailed deer is an always present, highly visible, and sometimes unwelcome visitor to backyards and gardens. Unfortunately, they can also become roadkill—a dangerous and costly consequence of their proximity to humans. This PBS-aired Nature episode studies the common but little understood American white-tailed deer, which has been around for millions of years, but has thrived in the last hundred years, thanks to the clearing of forests, which has created a perfect habitat for the deer, as they best exist in the margins between farm and forest, backyards, and back woods. Skittish around humans, deer overcome their poor eyesight with sharp hearing and smell senses, responding to detected movement rather than shapes. Deer are sociable creatures who alert fellow deer to approaching danger by stomping the ground or lifting their distinctive white tails. Highly adaptable, deer are happy to munch on nearly 600 species of plants, and can decimate a carefully cultivated garden. In "rutting" or mating season, male bucks with impressive antlers become aggressive, marking territory and fighting rivals. Interestingly, the famous "deer in the headlights" effect occurs because the light overstimulates a deer's visual cortex, temporarily shutting down the brain. The Private Life of Deer also describes the diminutive and endangered "Key deer," located in the Florida Keys, and the elusive white "ghost deer," a rare sight in America's north woods. Sometimes cute and loveable, deer are still definitely wild creatures, bringing nature to suburbs and even cities for easy observation. An engaging profile of these “creatures of the shadows" (deer are most active in the early morning or late afternoon), this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
The Private Life of Deer
(2013) 60 min. DVD: $19.99 ($42.95 w/PPR). PBS Video. SDH captioned. ISBN: 978-1-60883-911-7. Volume 28, Issue 5
The Private Life of Deer
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: