Saturday, December 26, 2015

Deer Demise

Last fall I bushwhacked off a regular trail and came across the old skeletal remains of a deer. Below is the pelvis and part of the spinal column of the dead deer. 


This will be either a Mule Deer or a White-tailed Deer. I am not skilled enough to tell the difference. 


There is a break in the spinal column. Perhaps the deer was killed by a coyote and the spinal column was targeted to immobilise the deer. Alternatively, the break happened after death when any number of opportunistic carnivores happened upon the carcass and broke the column to access the nutrient-rich marrow. 

The rest of the skeleton was not around. The other parts were likely carried off to eat in a more secure location.  

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