PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Odocoileus

Osteichthyes - Cervidae

Taxonomy

Odocoileus was named by Rafinesque (1832). It is extant.

It was assigned to Odocoileini by Hershkovitz (1982); to Odocoileini by Grubb (2000), Hassanin and Douzery (2003); to Odocoileinae by Kurten and Anderson (1980), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008); and to Cervidae by Rafinesque (1832), Schultz and Howard (1935), Wilson (1967), Carroll (1988), Shoshani et al. (1989), Webb (1998), Cisneros (2005), Eshelman et al. (2025).

Species

Cariacus brachyceros, Navahoceros, O. brachydontus, O. brachyodontus, O. dolichopsis, O. hemionus (syn. Cariacus ensifer, O. cascensis, O. columbianus), O. laevicornis, O. lucasi, O. peruvianus, O. rothschildi, O. salinae, O. sellardsiae, O. virginianus (syn. O. sheridanus, O. cooki)

Species lacking formal opinion data

O. hemionus, O. hemionus, O. osceola, O. virgininianus

Sister genera

Navahoceros

Synonyms

Odocoileus brachydontus was named by Oelrich (1953). Its type specimen is UMMP 28140, a set of teeth, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Fox Canyon, which is in a Blancan terrestrial horizon in the Rexroad Formation of Kansas.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Wheatley and Ruez (2006).
Paleoodocoileus was named by Spillmann (1931).

It was synonymized subjectively with Odocoileus by Hershkovitz (1982), Smith (1991).
Protomazama was named by Spillmann (1931).

It was synonymized subjectively with Odocoileus by Hershkovitz (1982), Smith (1991).
Navahoceros was named by Kurten (1975).

It was considered a nomen nudum by Morejohn and Dailey (2004).

It was assigned to Cervidae by Kurten (1975), Carroll (1988); to Odocoileinae by Kurten and Anderson (1980), Webb (1992); and to Odocoileini by Grubb (2000).
Cariacus was named by Lesson (1842). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Odocoileus by Smith (1991).

It was assigned to Cervidae by Lydekker (1894).
Odocoileus brachyodontus was named by Oelrich (1953). Its type specimen is U.M.M.P. No. 28140, a set of teeth (left [upper] M2-M3), and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Wheatley and Ruez (2003).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1832	Odocoileus Rafinesque
1842	Cariacus Lesson
1894	Cariacus Lydekker p. 79
1931	Paleoodocoileus Spillmann
1931	Protomazama Spillmann
1935	Odocoileus Schultz and Howard p. 286
1953	Odocoileus brachyodontus Oelrich
1953	Odocoileus brachydontus Oelrich pp. 376-377 fig. 1
1953	Odocoileus brachyodontus Oelrich p. 376
1967	Odocoileus Wilson p. 218
1975	Navahoceros Kurten p. 507
1980	Odocoileus Kurten and Anderson p. 310
1980	Odocoileus brachydontus Kurten and Anderson p. 310
1980	Navahoceros Kurten and Anderson p. 312
1982	Odocoileus Hershkovitz p. 8
1988	Navahoceros Carroll
1988	Odocoileus Carroll
1989	Odocoileus Shoshani et al. p. 436
1992	Navahoceros Webb p. 409
1998	Odocoileus Webb p. 509
2000	Navahoceros Grubb p. 302
2000	Odocoileus Grubb p. 302
2003	Odocoileus Hassanin and Douzery p. 212
2005	Odocoileus Cisneros p. 249
2008	Odocoileus Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 978 figs. Fig. 5
2025	Odocoileus Eshelman et al. p. 154

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Osteichthyes
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
subclass	Synapsida
—	Therapsida	()
infraorder	Cynodontia	()
—	Mammaliamorpha
—	Mammaliaformes

Rank	Name	Author
class	Mammalia
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Euungulata
—	Artiodactylamorpha
—	Artiodactyla	()
—	Ruminantiamorpha
—	Ruminantia	(Scopoli 1777)
—	Pecora	()
superfamily	Cervoidea
family	Cervidae
—	Telemetacarpalia
tribe	Odocoileini	(Pocock 1923)
genus	Odocoileus	Rafinesque 1832

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Odocoileus Rafinesque 1832

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†Odocoileus dolichopsis Cope 1878

Odocoileus hemionus Rafinesque 1817 [mule deer]

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Invalid names: Cariacus ensifer Cope 1889 [synonym], Odocoileus cascensis Frick 1937 [synonym], Odocoileus columbianus Merriam 1898 [synonym]

†Odocoileus laevicornis Cope 1896

†Odocoileus lucasi Hay 1927

†Odocoileus peruvianus Gray 1874

Odocoileus rothschildi Thomas 1902

Odocoileus rothschildi chiriquensis Allen 1910

†Odocoileus salinae Frick 1937

†Odocoileus sellardsiae Hay 1917

Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann 1780 [white-tailed deer]

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Invalid names: Odocoileus cooki Frick 1937 [synonym], Odocoileus sheridanus Frick 1937 [synonym]

†Odocoileus virginianus aplodon Slaughter and Crook 1962

Invalid names: Cariacus Lesson 1842 [synonym], Navahoceros Kurten 1975 [nomen nudum], Odocoileus brachydontus Oelrich 1953 [nomen dubium], Odocoileus brachyodontus Oelrich 1953 [nomen dubium], Paleoodocoileus Spillmann 1931 [synonym], Protomazama Spillmann 1931 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

part	N	mean

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

terrestrialo

Locomotion:

actively mobilec

Life habit:

ground dwellingf

Diet:

browserg

Reproduction:

viviparousf

Comments:

also a browser during the Pleistocene based on stable isotopes (MacFadden and Cerling 1996)g

Created:

2009-01-04 10:41:19

Modified:

2009-01-04 12:41:19

Source: g = genus, f = family, o = order, c = class, subp = subphylum

References: Hendy et al. 2009, Nowak 1991, Carroll 1988, Nowak 1999, MacFadden and Cerling 1996

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Late/Upper Pliocene to the top of the Holocene or 3.60000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 2.58 Ma

Collections (301 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Oldest occurrences
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (Florida)	O. sp. (19764) O. virginianus (19752 19753 19754 113275)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (Arizona)	O. sp. (19638 19645 19654)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	Mexico (Sonora)	O. sp. (20322)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (Kansas)	O. brachyodontus (19931 19936)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (California)	Navahoceros sp. (20117) Navahoceros sp., O. sp. (20121) O. sp. (19668 19714 20119 20120 20122)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (Texas)	O. brachyodontus (20031) O. sp. (20033 20038 20047 20049 20052)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	Mexico (Chihuahua)	O. sp. (20074)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (Idaho)	Cervus lucasi (19912) Cervus sp. (19911 19913 19921) O. lucasi (19767)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (New Mexico)	O. brachyodontus (19982) O. sp., Navahoceros lascrucensis (19973)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (Washington)	Cervidae indet. (20062)
Blancan	4.7 - 1.4	USA (Nevada)	O. sp. (20006 20009)
Blancan - Irvingtonian	4.7 - 0.21	El Salvador	O. virginianus (70118)
Late/Upper Pliocene	3.6 - 2.58	Mexico (Sonora)	O. virginianus (231945)
Late/Upper Pliocene - Early/Lower Pleistocene	3.6 - 0.774	USA (Idaho)	Cervus lucasi (227943)
Gelasian	2.58 - 1.8	USA (Florida)	O. virginianus (19758 20384)
Early/Lower Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.774	USA (Florida)	O. virginianus (19750 98313)
Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.0117	USA (Florida)	O. virginianus (227368)
Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.0117	Mexico (Jalisco)	Navahoceros sp., O. sp. (20285)
Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.0117	USA (California)	O. sp. (74480)
Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.0117	Mexico (Oaxaca)	O. sp. (71305)