This Week in the Woods, we decided to devote this space to resolving, once and for all, a question that has concerned generations of young researchers:
Yes, deer can fly.
This photo shows a white-tailed deer practicing flight maneuvers. For information about aerial caribou, a.k.a. flying reindeer, see this scholarly work, co-published by Keeping Track and Northern Woodlands, which describes two leading explanations for how Rangifer tarandus var. rudolphus becomes airborne but notes, “Efforts to study its migratory behaviors have been foiled by a combination of poor roof access and early bedtimes.”
Our thanks to The Bailey Charitable Foundation and the Frank and Brinna Sands Foundation for helping to support this series.
What have you seen in the woods this week? Share your images with us on Facebook, or submit a special photo for possible inclusion in our monthly online Reader Photo Gallery.