Atypical Mule Deer buck – Nikon D300, f8, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
I like this atypical Mule Deer because he isn’t typical instead he is different, he stands out. Some might wonder why he is atypical and it is simply because his antlers are not symmetrical. His right antler is larger and taller than the left. Nature is not perfect but it is perfectly fine the way that it is. He is different, unique and handsome just as he is.
I photographed this buck along with another one on Antelope Island State Park in 2012, I wonder what this buck looks like now.
Mia
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Very beautiful!
Lovely. Kind of like when you get to really know a person, their little quirks are what make them so uniquely them, and what endear them to you. =) A handsome creature, for sure.
He is truly beautiful. And I echo Patty’s wish.
Interesting shot of a mulie…I wonder if the shorter antler will catch up in size…I hope being “imperfect” will protect him from some “great white bozo” who gets his jollies out of killing things and cutting their heads off to decorate his or her cave walls….?
I found this in the July 31 issue of vaildaily.com: Mule deer antlers split or fork as they grow. The main beam splits into two and each of those forks split into two, a shape called bifurcation.
Antlers, which grow only on males, are shed every year, usually early spring, and a new set immediately begins growing. Antlers are made from bone while horns are more like finger nails. Horns, which may be found on males and females, are kept for the life. (The exception is the pronghorn antelope, which shed their horns each year.) Antlers grow from a skull bump called the pedicle and amazingly reach full size by mid-summer.
You’re right, he is one handsome guy!
Aren’t they wonderful?
Such a graceful creature.