Cute deer
These deer are the first white ones I have ever seen.
They just wandered into the yard with mother and ate the vege patch.
They are to me, a bit like kangaroos might be to Canadians.
Nova Scotia Natural Resources Wildlife Division wrote back that they are Piebald Deer, worth watching, and have supplied information on them, extracts from which are below.
20 Dec: Now we have deer with antlers,
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White Deer:
Piebald or partially white coloration in Deer is the most common abnormality of the skin and Coat.
It has been reported in over 2% of some populations, which isnt a lot, but far more than pure white, black or wooly coats which are the other coat anomalies.
Every organsim develops from a single cell which contains a code for progression to the adult stage.
The code is hereditary material (genes), the code may be altered by extrinsic (outside) factors so that the final product is the result of interactions between environment and heredity.
Not all systems are perfect and development may go astray.
Any one or a combination of these factors may act upon the deer to produce partially white coloring, which them may be passed from parent to offspring.
The condition may be very minor, some white on the legs or belly, to extremes where the animal is almost completely white, but differentiated from albino by the lack of pink eyes.
There are no precise records of piebald deer in Nova Scotia, but a few are reported taken or sighted annually.
Often associated with color abnormality, especially in deer showing more white, are structural abnormalities
Probably the greatest value of a piebald deer is as an unusual trophy for the hunter or photographer.
Since it is an abnormality associated with physical problems, its presence in the herd cannot benefit the population, and may in fact reduce the survivability of deer affected.