Summer Velvet
by Sennie Pierson
Title
Summer Velvet
Artist
Sennie Pierson
Medium
Photograph - Photography - Fine Art Photographs
Description
Rocky Mountains mule deer in velvet. Fun fact, The average weight of a mule deer ranges from an average of 130lbs at year one to an average of 250lbs later in life. When first born, fawns usually weigh five to seven pounds. The color of the mule deer’s coat changes with the seasons, from short, reddish-brown in the summer, to longer, grayish-tan in the winter months. A major defining characteristic for the mule deer is their noticeably large ears (in comparison to its cousin the whitetail deer which has relatively small ears). Mule deer have a short, white tail with a black tip and white patches on their chins, throat, underbelly, and rumps. When running, mule deer tend to run more on the tips of their hooves, allowing them to run faster. .
Mule deer antler growth starts in the spring with warming temperatures. During the growth period the antlers are covered in a skin-like tissue called velvet. All mule deer antlers are bifurcated, which means they fork as they grow. Full growth is obtained in late summer when the velvet is shed. Mule deer rid their antlers of velvet by rubbing them on various harder objects. Once the velvet is gone what is left is hard and shiny (unlike the soft-fuzzy appearance of the velvet). The full-grown hardened antlers are cast off, or shed, each year in late winter after mating season.
Uploaded
September 21st, 2018
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