Reindeer get glow in the dark antlers

Reindeer herders in Lapland are giving their livestock glow-in-the-dark antlers in a bid to save them from being hit by cars.

The antlers of 20 reindeer have been painted with various fluorescent dyes to see which one is the most effective.

It is the the latest attempt to stop thousands of road deaths involving reindeer in Lapland, northern Finland, each year.

Anne Ollila of the Finnish Reindeer Herder's Association says the animals will be monitored to see how they react and whether the paints are resistant to the harsh Arctic climate.

If successful, animals with glittering antlers will be free to roam Lapland - a vast, deserted area in northern Finland where herders tend to some 200,000 reindeer.

Ms Ollila says reflectors and reflective tape have proven unsuccessful in the past as reindeer have torn them off.

And road signs warning drivers of roaming reindeer often are stolen by tourists as souvenirs.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Reindeer_get_glow_in_the_dark_antlers

What a Reindeer Looks Like Without His Antlers

OurAmazingPlanet Staff

Date: 01 February 2013 Time: 03:23 PM ET

Each year after the breeding season ends, male reindeer shed their impressive, branching antlers that they grow. Lenni, the six-year-old European forest reindeer at Scotland's Highland Wildlife Park, shed quite a set of antlers this year.

Lenni's antlers weighed in at a combined 23 pounds (10.5 kilograms), about the same as a 1-year-old child, the park noted in a release. Each antler was 37 inches (94 centimeters) tall and 31.5 inches (80 cm) wide.

"The shed antlers are quite striking and are the largest ones from the three males in the Park this year," said Douglas Richardson, the park's animal collection manager.

Trainee hoofstock keeper Marc Enderby holds up the antlers shed by male reindeer Lenni at Scotland's Highland Wildlife Park.

CREDIT: Edinburgh Zoo 

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/26795-reindeer-antlers-photo.html

Gender-Bending Deer With Crazy Antlers Shot

A true "freak of nature" was taken west of West Salem during the second shotgun season over the weekend. Richard Lomas, a farmhand for George Knackmuhs, shot this 30-point doe on the late Richard Knackmuhs Farm. The deer, which features a non-typical rack, a drop antler still in velvet and no evidence of male genitalia, also does not appear to have ever given birth. Locals estimate the deer to be about 4-5 years old.


Typically, only male members of the deer family grow antlers (with the exception of caribou, also known as reindeer, where the females also grow antlers). They use them for ritual battle with other males over mates. Once mating season is over in early winter, the male deer drop their antlers. Come spring, they begin growing a new set.


The deer shot near West Salem was odd not only because it was a female with antlers, but because the antlers had 30 points. That's a ridiculously high number of points. A healthy male deer in his prime might have ten or twelve points.


There must be something weird in the water in Illinois, because other female deer with antlers have been documented there recently. The phenomenon isn't unheard of, but it is very uncommon.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-mizejewski/genderbending-deer-with-c_b_1137878.html?ref=weird-animals