Top: White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) skull of male including antlers.
Bottom: Skull of female White Tailed Deer oriented to see the teeth and palate.
Specimens of the Cobb Museum of Archaeology
Close up of Whitetail Deer skull
Cobb Museum of Archaeology specimen.
The White Tailed Deer easily adapts to different habitats, including areas disturbed by and inhabited by humans.
(Creative Commons)
1st LAND MAMMAL WHITE TAILED DEER
(Odocoileus virginianus)
Designated as State Land Mammal in 1974.
The white tailed deer has a large geographic range from the northern-most reaches of the contiguous United States all the way through Central America. Deer have long been hunted for meat, but deerskin, bones, and antlers have also been used by humans for leather and tools. Deer are exceptional runners, traveling at speeds up to 40 miles per hour (64km/hr). They are also adept swimmers.
Red Fox skull from the Derek Anderson Lab Comparative Collection.
Cobb Museum of Archaeology
Close up of red fox pelt that was on display in the original, physical exhibit.
Department of Biological Sciences specimen.
Image of a living Red Fox.
(Creative Commons)
2nd LAND MAMMAL RED FOX
(Vulpes vulpes)
Designated as State Land Mammal in 1997.
The red fox, close relative of coyotes and wolves, is an important omnivore in the Mississippi ecosystem, helping to keep rodent pests at bay and spreading seeds of the fruits they eat. They typically hunt and forage during the night, but can often be seen in afternoon or evening hours. The red fox has historically been hunted or trapped for its beautiful reddish-brown pelt.
Skeleton of Bottlenose dolphin.
College of Veterinary Science Anatomy Lab Collection Donated by Paul Lynch, Ann Shirley, Michelle Fordham, Brenda Zabrenik and Travis Methvin
Close up of Bottlenose dolphin skeleton.
College of Veterinary Science Anatomy Lab Collection Donated by Paul Lynch, Ann Shirley, Michelle Fordham, Brenda Zabrenik and Travis Methvin
Bottlenose dolphins jumping and swimming in the ocean.
(Creative Commons)
STATE WATER MAMMAL BOTTLENOSED DOLPHIN
(Tursiops truncates)
Designated as State Water Mammal in 1974.
Dolphins are common residents off of the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. The dolphin’s streamlined shape and complex body musculature move the horizontally-oriented caudal (tail) fin, or fluke, in an up and down motion typical of marine mammals. Fish, in comparison, have a vertically-oriented tail that is moved in a side to side motion. Dolphins are superior swimmers capable of speeds up to 21 knots (approximately 24 mi/hr or 34km/hr).
