Deer


Deer

 ***Note: This blog first appeared on my Caris Roane blog in August, 2017

 I had such a narrow understanding of deer before doing this bit of research. I thought deer had a certain kind of antler and the rest were ‘something other than deer’. I think it goes back to my dad hunting deer and coming back with the familiar antlers with a certain number of points.

 It’s funny how we create our mental maps and are surprised when reality proves to be something different. Here’s the biggest surprise for me: Did you know that a moose is a deer? He’s just bigger and heavier with massive antlers, but he belongs to the same family. I honestly thought they were different families! Elk, too! All ‘deer’! I’m wondering how many of you knew this already. 

 Deer border on mythic. They are profound symbols in religion, heraldry, literature and mythology. They’ve appeared in paleolithic paintings and art forms throughout the millennia. Their antlers make them unique, often majestic in appearance. 

 On a more basic level, deer are ruminants. Like cattle, goats, giraffes, yaks and antelopes, deer acquire nutrients from the plant-based foods they consume through a fermentation process in a stomach prior to digestion. Remember the expression ‘chewing the cud’? The deer’s cud is regurgitated and chewed again to further break down the plant matter. The process is known as rumination.

 I had to laugh, because ‘ruminating’ is one of my favorite writer words, you know, to really mull something over. I will hereafter and forever be reminded of the ruminant digestive process when I use this word. I think it will make me smile every time.
FunFacts and Deer and Antlers (Source) (Source) (Source)

·         ~  Antlers aren’t a true bone structure and usually grow in pairs.
·         ~  Deer jump high and swim well.
·         ~  Most deer are born with white spots but lose them within a year.
·         ~  Antlers vary from species to species.
·         Deer are part of the Cervidae family that include moose, reindeer, elk and other species.
·         Male deer grow new antlers each year.
·         Antlers only grow on males, with the exception of caribou (reindeer). Antlers serve to attract females and as weapons for fighting.
·         Designations:
o   A male deer: buck
o   A large male deer: stag
o   A female deer: doe
o   A young deer: fawn
o   A group of deer: herd
·         Most deer are born with white spots but lose them within a year.
·         Within half an hour of their birth, fawns take their first steps.
·         Fawns stay with their mother for around a year.












I hope you enjoyed today's blog!
Have a wonderful day and the best week ever!
Hugs,
Valerie Bosna
     Writing As...
     Caris Roane
     Valerie King
     Eliot Wilde

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Snow Leopards

Image
Do you love these big beautiful cats? When I blogged about lynx last week, several of you mentioned how snow leopards were your favorite of all the big cats. So, of course I had to profile these amazing animals this week. What surprised me the most about snow leopards was the extreme altitudes at which these cats live, anywhere from 9800 to 17000 feet. Below is a video that shows several snow leopards in the wild and which also discusses some of the conservation efforts in Kyrgyzstan. The link shows a map as well. FunFacts about Snow Leopards ( Source ) ( Source ) ( Source ) Snow Leopards are 2 feet high at the shoulders and 6-7.5 feet in length which includes the tail which can be as long as 4 feet. They live in the mountains of central Asia at altitudes ranging from 9800 feet to 17000 feet. Like the lynx, they have wide paws that are completely fur-covered and which function like snowshoes. Their long tails help them to create balance and also protect sensitive area...
Read more

Tuscany

Image
Did you ever see the movie, A Room with a View ? It's one of my favorites and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Helena Bonham-Carter and Maggie Smith among others. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it highly. It's a wonderful period piece and Daniel Day-Lewis's performance alone is worth a gander. But as the story opens, we're in Florence in Tuscany. We even get to see some of the city's beauties as well as the countryside. For those of you familiar with the film, here's a video featuring the kiss in the poppy field.  I've traveled in Europe, but not in Italy. I hope one day to make the journey, though I confess I don't travel easily. Long distances on a plane drive me to distraction. And it's not like the pilot can pull-over so I can stretch my legs, lol. But Italy is one of those places that should be on everyone's bucket-list. Tuscany in particular has a long history including the Etruscans who built one of the first civiliza...
Read more

Elderberries

Image
Elderberry wine has been in my consciousness since I can remember. But I've never had a glass of it. I've never seen or tasted an elderberry and I can't recall the source of my memory. My best guess is that it was in a book I read many years ago or perhaps in a movie or TV show. So, when I saw photos of elderberries, I knew I wanted to bring the topic here because I am sure many of you have either made the wine yourselves or sampled elderberries in desserts or cordials.  First, a small bit of folklore about the elderberry shrub/tree. Some lore insists that the elder tree can ward off evil and protect against witches. While other lore says that witches like to gather beneath the trees while they're in full fruit. Maybe I'll have one of my witches in the Flame Series have an elder tree in her backyard, lol! FunFacts about Elderberries ( Source ) ( Source ) ( Source ) The elderberry is part of the Sambucus family of which there are up to 30 different species. ...
Read more