White tailed deer really show off their ability to survive Minnesota's cold winters at this time of year. If you compare these pictures to the opossum pictures of a few weeks ago you can see why opossums have not been here long.
Deer fur is thick, and each hair is hollow to add insulating value to keep the deer warm. The deer has fur right down to the tip of its nose, and its ears are thickly furred. Not like the Opossum's thin furless ears.
Deer also constantly turn their ears to catch all the sounds around them. Not all of us can turn one ear forward and the other one backward at the same time so no danger can sneak up.
This is my favorite. Look at the long eyelashes on this doe deer. Especially the really long ones along the bottom of the eye. Kind of makes Disney exagerations seem too small. Actually, in the dark when walking through heavy brush these "guard hair" lashes warn of sticks that might injure an eye.
I took these pictures yesterday at Springbrook's wildlife feeders. You can see these and other deer adaptations everyday at Springbrook.
Beginning with the time of Noah and the Ark, the communication between man and beasts have been broken. Humanity has lost all sense of communion with all of nature as all the birds and the beast are running away in fear of men. We are lucky to have a few animals that remain that we have domesticated which are dogs, cats and other farm animals.
ReplyDeletewildlife feeders
Dear treeclimber
ReplyDeleteI am publishing a book on sound perception called "Hear Where We Are" and would like to use the "Deer 2" photo. I presume that because you are a photographer that you took the photo.
Can we arrange permission for the use of this photo?
Thanks in advance for your time
Michael Stocker
mstocker@msa-design.com
415-488-0553