Mule Deer

     Lewis was the first to call these large prairie animals mule deer. Their large, mule-like ears have a black fringe. Each ear moves by itself to listen for danger. Mule deer move with a bounding motion called stotting. All four feet come down together. The expedition shot one near present-day Chamberlain on September 17, 1804.

     "A curious kind of deer of a dark gray color, hair long and fine, the ears large & long. . . . This species of deer jumps like a goat or sheep."—Clark’s journal, September 17, 1804