Biological rarities, white deer always attract attention
An albino whitetail deer roams a wooded area in Boulder Junction, Wis. in this recent photo. (AP Photo/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jeffrey Phelps)
These white fawns have been seen frequently this summer around Farmington.
It’s getting to be that time of year when deer dominate outdoorsmen’s conversations and imaginations. In late summer and early fall, the only thing that could arouse more interest among hunters than a large-racked buck is the rare and mysterious sight of a white deer.
White deer have captivated wildlife enthusiasts for decades, and hunters for a lot longer. A number of people, including an associate I know through daily work, have been seeing twin white fawns in the Farmington area for several weeks. When my friend showed me a photo of the fawns taken just last week, I knew what this week’s column would feature — the complex phenomenon of the absence of normal color in white-tailed deer.
All of us are familiar with the word “albino,” but the term does not accurately apply to all deer with white coats. Albinism, the condition exhibited by albinos, is the absence of pigment in the hair, skin and tissues. Deer without normal pigment show white because no other colors are present.
In true albinos the eyes, ear linings and hooves appear pink, not because they actually have pink pigment, but because the red blood inside capillaries lends a pink tint to the visible tissues on the surface. It may help to think of albinism as the absence of color, rather than true white pigment. About one in 35,000 white-tailed deer are born as albinos.
In genetic terms, albinism is the product of a recessive gene, meaning that both parents must contribute a gene for albinism in order for the offspring to lack normal pigment. But it is not necessary that one or both parents be albinos themselves; only that they possess the recessive gene for albinism in their DNA.
The twin white fawns in the photo from Farmington appear to be true albinos, as the linings of the ears appear to be pink, even from a distance.
The photo clearly demonstrates why albino deer are so rare in nature: albinism has no survival value. In other words, white deer tend to be more vulnerable to coyotes, wolves, bears and human hunters because they are so conspicuous. As a result, albino deer tend to die before they reproduce, and so the gene for albinism does not normally occur at high proportions within wild populations.
Some localities have tried to enforce rules against shooting white deer, and many animal enthusiasts support such restrictions. Such rules, however, are more about sentiment than sound management. Wild populations are probably better off without such artificial restrictions. Frankly, I doubt that I would shoot one myself, simply because I’d feel odd about eating something that was such a biological oddity. But there is no reason to resent the hunter who decides that taking a white deer home is the right thing for him or her to do.
There are also white, or partially white, deer that are not true albinos. Biologists refer to these deer as “leucistic.” They may have white hair over all or parts of their bodies, but possess normally colored eyes, ears and hooves. Hunters around here occasionally kill what’s known as “piebald” deer. These deer have white patches or swaths across large parts of their coats, but are otherwise normally colored. Rather than true albinism, piebald or leucistic deer seem to be exhibiting a genetic mutation in which the hair possesses true white pigment. But like albinos, this trait is unlikely to be passed on and build up in populations because it offers its owner no advantage. In fact, like albinism, it’s a disadvantage that discourages long life and reproduction.
At one time I kept a tally, but have since seen enough white deer that I no longer remember all the encounters. I’ve probably seen nearly two dozen white deer in the woods of southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The most memorable was an entirely white, albino, large-racked buck that stepped across a dirt road near Bobtown in Dunkard Township, Greene County, then returned my gaze from the woods nearby. I’ve also seen white deer at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, near Mount Independence, in northern Pennsylvania, southern West Virginia and western Maryland, among other locations.
White deer clearly inspired explorers and settlers in frontier Pennsylvania. In Lycoming and Union counties, numerous features carry the name “White Deer.” A quick map study of that region between Williamsport and Lewisburg will reveal White Deer Mountain, White Deer Creek, White Deer Valley and White Deer Township. Either some notable event involving a white deer happened there, or white deer occurred with uncommon frequency in those central Pennsylvania woods in colonial days.
They continue to add interest and excitement even today. Keep an eye on the woods when traveling around. If there’s a white deer in your future, it won’t be hard to spot.