Landscape Nov

IT IS AUTUMN, and the trees in a country park are
rapidly dropping their leaves. Those clinging to the
branches are shades of red and amber; their fallen
neighbours blanketing the ground below. In a clearing,
two magnificent stags approach one another warily;
more so, the challenging male, who is here to wrestle
supremacy from the incumbent. As they advance,
each utters a loud, deep roar. This is the height of the
annual red deer rut, and the event is in full swing.
Often the challenger will simply back off, having sized
up his chances and realised he will not be victorious.
But when the two animals are evenly matched, the
physical battle begins. Time and again, the rivals clash
together, locking their huge antlers momentarily before
pulling apart and starting again. Meanwhile, the other
males, and more importantly the females, who will mate
with the eventual winner, stand on the sidelines, simply
watching and waiting for the conflict to be resolved.
Antlers are only found in the deer family, Cervidae.
There are almost 100 living species, only one of which,
the Chinese water deer, does not have antlers at all,
preferring to rely on its sharp tusks. In almost all cases,
antlers are confined to males, though female reindeer do
have small antlers, which they use to clear away snow
when searching for food.
Show of strength
Antlers vary hugely in size from species to species,
the largest being those of the fallow deer and reindeer.
They also vary considerably in shape and complexity, ›
In Britain, the fallow deer, Dama dama, is distinguished by its palmate
antlers. It is most commonly seen in England and Wales.
The majestic red deer stag, Cervus
elaphus, with its branch-like antler
headdress, pauses in a forest clearing
during an autumn rut to determine
dominance in the mating ritual.