White-tailed Deer Quintuplets in an Area with High Prevalence of Chronic Wasting Disease
Justin R. Kosiewska1,Daniel M. Grove1, Mark Q. Wilber1, Dailee L. Metts1,Jacob D. Wyrick1, Allan Houston2, and Lisa I. Muller1,*
1School of Natural Resources, 401 Agriculture and Natural Resources Building, University of Tennessee; Knoxville, TN 37996. 2Ames Research Education Center, PO Box 389; Grand Junction, TN 38039. *Corresponding author.
Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 23, Issue 4 (2024): N70–N74
First published early online: 4 December 2024
Abstract
A female Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) harvested in West Tennessee (29 January 2024) in an area with high prevalence of chronic wasting disease (CWD), had 5 fetuses (3 males and 2 females). All fetuses had similar development (58 days old) determined by crown–rump length. We estimated conception occurred ~2 December 2023, typical for the area. This case suggests that high reproductive output might be possible even in the face of CWD. However, even with potentially high reproductive output, altered maternal behavior due to CWD infection could affect successful neonate recruitment.
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