Odocoileus is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of medium-sized deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

 (family Cervidae) containing two species native to the Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

. The name is sometimes spelt odocoeleus; it is from a contraction of the roots odonto- and coelus meaning "hollow-tooth".

Species

• Mule deer
  Mule Deer
  The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
  
   (Odocoileus hemionus) is indigenous to the western half of North America
  North America
  North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
  
  .
• White-tailed deer
  White-tailed Deer
  The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
  
   (Odocoileus virginianus) is found throughout most of the continental United States, southern Canada
  Canada
  Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
  
  , Mexico
  Mexico
  The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
  
  , Central America
  Central America
  Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
  
   and northern portions of South America
  South America
  South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
  
   as far south as Peru
  Peru
  Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  
  .

Hybridisation

On the event of hybridisation between the Mule deer and the Whitetail the offspring is subject to ecological post-zygotic reproductive isolation, in which its predator escape technique becomes confused: a mix of the Mule deer's stotting

Stotting

Stotting is a gait of quadrupeds, particularly gazelles , involving jumping high into the air by lifting all four feet off the ground simultaneously. This may occur during pursuit by a predator...

strategy and the Whitetail's sprint strategy cause the hybrid to perform a chaotic mixture of both, making it an easy prey-target for the Coyote.