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Carl and Racine Erland | all galleries >> Monthly Galleries Archive: January 2009 - December 2022 >> June 2010 > Buck in Velvet
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31-MAY-2010 Carl Erland

Buck in Velvet

Southern Vancouver Island

He's looking a bit scruffy still, sporting the start of a new set of antlers, but not quite finished shedding his long winter coat for the smooth, glossy one of summer. Deer facts: Antlers are the usually large and complex bony appendages on the heads of most deer species, mostly on males; only caribou and reindeer have antlers on the females, and these are normally smaller than those of the males. Nevertheless, fertile does from other species of deer have the capacity to produce antlers on occasion, usually due to increased testosterone levels. Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle. While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone; once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler, which is itself shed after each mating season. ~ Wikipedia

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larose forest photos03-Jun-2010 20:10
Wow!! Phenomenal shot of this beauty. Mule deer, I guess (?). Great information too. VOTE
Guest 02-Jun-2010 13:54
Yes, wonderful comp and details!
lou_rozensteins01-Jun-2010 22:15
Beautiful details in this lovely portrait! Well done.
Frank Brault01-Jun-2010 18:05
A fantastic portrait. You beautifully captured the mixture of the winter and summer coats. V
J. Scott Coile01-Jun-2010 16:55
Great low light exposure Carl!