The White-tailed Deer is distinguished from the Mule Deer by the smaller size of its ears, the color of its tail, and most strikingly, by antler shape. In Whitetails, the main beam of the antlers grows forward rather than upwards, and each tine develops as its own separate branch rather than being split into a forked pair. Learn more about the Odocoileus virginianus, more commonly known as a White-tailed Deer, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.