Why is the specific epithet *virginianus* used in *Odocoileus virginianus*?
Answer
It is a direct nod to the region where the first specimens were collected and described.
The scientific binomial *Odocoileus virginianus* carries specific historical meaning embedded within its nomenclature. The specific epithet, *virginianus*, was explicitly chosen because it references the geographical area of Virginia, which is where the initial physical specimens of this deer species were gathered and formally described by early naturalists. This naming convention ties the species' scientific identity directly to its discovery location in the Americas.
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