A Phantom Black Mule Deer Spotted
Many of you have never even heard of a Black Mule Deer, let alone seen one. However, this recent photo taken in Winnemucca, Nevada showcases the rare occurence.
Mike Cox, big game biologist at the Nevada Department of Wildlife, has his own name for the phantom deer…he calls it a genetic alteration. It’s not quite as catchy as Tahoe Tessie, but it does explain things.
“It looks like it fell into an oil spill, but obviously we don’t have those in the middle of Nevada,” jokes Cox. “There are genes that map out the characteristics of an animal in its embryonic stage. Sometimes it’s a funky hoof, or a tweaked antler, or in this case the hairs of this mule deer are a different color than the normal mule. Sometimes there are recessive traits that are hidden in those genes that never see the light of day except for maybe one in a million, or one in two million.”
NDOW biologist Ed Partee states that black mule deer have been spotted before in Nevada.
“We have seen these black deer in the past in Humboldt County, mainly in the Jacksons, but we haven’t seen it for quite some time,” said Partee.
Cox reports that there appears to be nothing else out of the ordinary with the black mule deer doe other than its striking color.
“It’s definitely unusual. We may never see it again for a generation, or 50 years, or we may see it next year,” said Cox. “It’s almost like slot machines. You have to pull that slot machine a long, long time until you get the right combination, and that’s what happened with this melanistic mutation.”
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Just as I was posting this, I received an email of another Black Mule Deer spotted. This one a buck mule deer. These photos show the buck in velvet and then after he has rubbed off. These are amazing photos. Apparently, it was spotted near Eagleville , California which is just northwest of Reno and the photos were taken September 2nd and 3rd of 2007.
19 comments November 20th, 2007
