Sandra Standbridge.
A Red Deer Stag (Cervus elaphus) wallowing in a mud pool.
Full of testosterone and getting ready for battle.
Wallowing Rutting stags urinate in muddy pits under trees or by water, then roll in it to anoint themselves. Both sexes also wallow in spring and summer to remove moulting fur.
Foliage head-dress Stags often adorn their antlers with scooped-up grass and bracken. This is a visual display to make them look bigger and more intimidating.
Bellowing Stags throw back their heads to roar – this also shows off their thick necks and manes to best advantage.
Antler shape Older stags have more branches in their antlers, with up to 16 points.
Gland secretions Preorbital (lachrymal) scent glands under the eyes discharge a dark fluid that may broadcast information about sex and age.
Smeared mud a rutting stag’s flanks, chest and legs are often caked in smelly mud.
Bark damage to trees Bark scraped off the trunks of trees using the lower incisors may be part of the rut, or simply a feeding sign.
Thrashed vegetation In August, stags thrash the foliage to rub the dry velvet off their antlers. In the rut this becomes a display.
Snapped branches Head-shaking stags also break off branches up to about 1m above the ground.
For licensing of my images see: Getty images or Alamy the links are below.
www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/image?artist=sandra%20stan...
www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid=%7b68A67A...
A Red Deer Stag (Cervus elaphus) wallowing in a mud pool.
Full of testosterone and getting ready for battle.
Wallowing Rutting stags urinate in muddy pits under trees or by water, then roll in it to anoint themselves. Both sexes also wallow in spring and summer to remove moulting fur.
Foliage head-dress Stags often adorn their antlers with scooped-up grass and bracken. This is a visual display to make them look bigger and more intimidating.
Bellowing Stags throw back their heads to roar – this also shows off their thick necks and manes to best advantage.
Antler shape Older stags have more branches in their antlers, with up to 16 points.
Gland secretions Preorbital (lachrymal) scent glands under the eyes discharge a dark fluid that may broadcast information about sex and age.
Smeared mud a rutting stag’s flanks, chest and legs are often caked in smelly mud.
Bark damage to trees Bark scraped off the trunks of trees using the lower incisors may be part of the rut, or simply a feeding sign.
Thrashed vegetation In August, stags thrash the foliage to rub the dry velvet off their antlers. In the rut this becomes a display.
Snapped branches Head-shaking stags also break off branches up to about 1m above the ground.
For licensing of my images see: Getty images or Alamy the links are below.
www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/image?artist=sandra%20stan...
www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid=%7b68A67A...