COLLEGE STATION, Tex., Dec. 22 -- Scientists at Texas A&M University have produced what they believe is the first cloned deer, the school said Monday.

Tests have confirmed that a fawn named Dewey, born to a surrogate mother in May, was a genetic duplicate of a male white-tailed deer from southern Texas whose skin samples were used in the cloning process, the school said.

Photos posted on the Texas A&M Internet site showed the little gray deer standing in a patch of grass.

"Dewey is developing normally for a fawn his age and appears healthy," said Mark Westhusin, who was lead investigator on the project.

Even though white-tailed deer are abundant in the wild, Westhusin said in a statement the creation of Dewey could prove helpful in preserving endangered species such as Florida's Key deer.