Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
There are three important organs of the deer's circulatory system--the heart, lungs, and spleen. Whitetail Deer, like most mammals, have a four chamber heart which circulates blood through the circulatory system. It transfers oxygen and nutriants throughout the body and carries away carbon monoxide and waste materials for disposal.
The Whitetail's Lungs perform the same function as in all mammals, transfering oxygen into and carbon monoxide out of the blood circulated through the alveoli. An average sized 150 pound deer will have two lungs, each about the size of a dinner plate. Whitetail lungs are very efficient and allow deer to run long distances a a high rate of speed. The spleen is an important producer of blood cells--primarily Lymphocytes. Erythrocytes can be stored in large amounts. The spleen of deer belongs to the blood-storing type, which is characteristic of endurance runners. Therefore, spleens of animals that die minutes after being wounded will be of much lower weight than spleens of animals that die instantly. |
Circulatory Channels |
There are approximately ten vital circulatory channels in a whitetail deer. In the middle of the upper section of the neck is the oblique posterior vena cava. In the back hip lies the femoral artery. Along with the heart these circulatory channels push about 8 pints of blood through an average 150 pound deer. cervical. While the jugular vein lies in the middle of the lower neck. Below the jugular vein lies the carotid artery. Near the heart lies both the aortic arch and exterior pectoral. Just above the legs is the interior pectoral. The dorsal aorta lies in the middle of the upper back. Leading to the heart from the intestines is the
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