OUTDOOR HUB
Daniel Xu | February 11, 2014
A study on fallow deer revealed that bucks can gauge each other’s strength based on the calls they make.
Image from Johann-Nikolaus Andreae on the Wikimedia Commons.
As hunters know, calling plays an important role in a buck’s life come the rut. A new study published today in the journal Behavioral Ecology suggests that deer have a complicated response to the groans made by rival males, and that the strength of the call may make a difference in whether the buck approaches the source or leaves.
“Until recently we have known relatively little about who is listening to their calling, and what information they are hearing,” Dr. Alan McElligott said in a press release.
The study was conducted by researchers from Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences in the University of London. Scientists carried out the experiments by playing different calls from various periods of the rut to fallow deer bucks in West Sussex with the use of hidden speakers. The researchers then recorded the reactions from the males, including how long it took the animals to react, their posture, and the calls made in response.