A Baby Mule Deer just one hour old tries to take it's first steps away from Mom. It will have to have sturdy legs within the next few hours so that it will have the ability to run as it is easy prey at this stage of it's life. Fawns have white spots on the back and sides that gradually disappear within 3-4 months.These spots help to break up it brown color to allow it to blend in the surrounding ground cover so as not to be easily spotted by predators. Mule Deer get their name from their ears which are quite large in contrast to other deer and resemble mules ears.Hence the name Mule Deer. They do not run as other deer, but have a peculiar and distinctive bounding leap (stotting) over distances up to 8 yards, with all 4 feet coming down together. In this fashion, they can reach a speed of 45 m.p.h. for short periods. Their life span in the wild is about 10 years.