Â鶹Éç

Archive 2008: Fallow deer

Fallow deer

Listen to an audio interview with scientist Alan McElligott who studies fallow deer

The enhanced version of the site requires the Flash 8 plugin (or higher) to be installed and JavaScript to be enabled on your browser. To find out how to install a Flash plugin, go to the WebWise Flash install guide.

Fallow deer are one of the six species of deer that live wild in the UK and like many other species of deer they have a seasonal rut. Although they have been here since the 11th century we are only now just starting to understand how that rut works.

Allen McElligott, a scientist at Queen Mary, University of London, has been studying the fallow deer rut to try and find out why certain males seem to be more successful in attracting a mate than others. Is it the size of their antlers, their looks or something a little bit deeper? Listen to him unravel the mysteries behind who gets to be top dog in the rut.

You might also like

Share your photos of wildlife in the Big Freeze.

Â鶹Éç Breathing Places

Little things that make a big difference and are a lot of fun too.

Find some nature near you

Nature

Â鶹Éç iD

Â鶹Éç navigation

Â鶹Éç © 2014 The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.