He/She Deer

Road killed White-tailed deer near the Simpson Monument in Kootenay
National Park.

With the exception of caribou, females of the deer family do not possess
antlers. So you can imagine the surprise when park warden Harold Abbott
found this White-tailed deer “doe” with antlers. He noted that she must
have had a fawn, as there was still evidence of lactation. But the presence
of small antlers in velvet caused him some bewilderment!

Antlers are formed by short-term increases of growth hormones. Researchers (1)
have found "that female deer can have a testosterone surge caused by a
hormone imbalance, first pregnancy, tumors, or degenerative conditions of
the ovaries or adrenal glands. This single surge can cause the growth of
antlers in velvet. Usually these antlered females cannot produce enough
testosterone to complete the antler cycle; as a result, the antlers remain
soft and often permanent" like the ones on the deer that Harold found.

(1) Field Notes: Antlered Does
Christopher DePerno, DNR Farmland Wildlife Populations & Research Group
and Jonathan Jenks, South Dakota State University

Posted on November 21, 2019 11:13 PM by larryhalverson