Upper Canines in Deer
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Zbone
20-Mar-19
Thought I'd share:
Upper Canines in Deer
http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/stay-informed/online-articles-amp-features/your-wild-ohio-hunter/post/upper-canines-in-deer?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OdnrDivisionOfWildlife+%28ODNR+Division+of+Wildlife%29
From: Moons22
21-Mar-19
This Massachusetts buck only had one
From: AaronShort
21-Mar-19
I've done 1000's of Euros and I have had 3 come through my shop. 2 were mine that I shot out of the same tree back to back years. The third only had one and it came about 10 miles from mine 5 years later. Cool trophy!!
From: x-man
21-Mar-19
I read once that coastal deer have been known to eat frogs, clams, ect... Could be an evolutionary trait held over on some DNA strains...?
From: AaronShort
21-Mar-19
The answer involves genetics - prehistoric genetics, to be more exact. The whitetail evolved from deer that originated in Asia tens of millions of years ago, and at least some of those early species had canines. In fact, even today some Old World species have pronounced canines. For example, various small Asian deer called muntjacs feature upper canines that in adult males are prolonged into "tusks." And the male musk deer often has 3-inch "tusks."
While the whitetail's genetic link to its Asian ancestors has weakened over the eons, the gene for these vestigial teeth is still out there. And when the right buck and doe mate, the trait potentially can show up in their offspring. At least, it can in their male progeny. It's reported that whitetail does never grow canines, though they certainly can pass on the gene to the next generation of deer.
From: Bill Obeid
21-Mar-19
Those elk ivories we covet are vestigial tusks from what must have been an incredible looking prehistoric animal.
From: Ace
21-Mar-19
So now we have to worry about both Zombie Deer AND Vampire Deer?
From: GF
21-Mar-19
Yup. Just as there are a few human babies born every year with tails.
