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

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