Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Shedding Velvet

“Let nature take its course. By letting each thing act in accordance with its own nature, everything that needs to be done gets done.”-Lao Tzu

Deer velvet is the soft velvety layer that covers the antlers of male deers during a short period of time every year. The velvet is not just a visual but it actually serves a greater purpose.

The fuzzy layer provides nourishment and protection to the hardening antlers beneath so that they can be used by the male during rutting season. 

The deer needs to shed the velvet to reveal its new antlers. This shedding process is a horrific sight as the dense blood vessels under the velvet bleed causing it to hang in the form of red blood strips from the deer’s rack of antlers. During this period, the deer tries to remove the blood-filled velvet by rubbing against trees and even biting off hanging pieces if it can reach them.

Peeling of the velvet is a signal that the rut (a mating season when the male deer start to prepare to face off against rivals for the affections of females) is beginning.

A tryst with nature #deervelvet



Deer antler velvet


A deer shedding velvet 


Rutting season




5 comments:

  1. No pain, no gain, I suppose! However it does seem to be one tremendous task, especially the one that makes you bleed.

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  2. Such great information
    Sreeparna

    ReplyDelete
  3. A hard process to procure the coming generations. Never new this before.

    ReplyDelete