Ask The Biologist

Feelin’ Lucky?

Feelin’ Lucky?

By Bob Humphrey

Triple fawn bucks is probably pretty rare, but the odds for each were likely 50:50.

QUESTION: I’ve been watching a doe near my property. She had three fawns, and all are bucks. What are the odds?

ANSWER: In general, odds of a fawn being a buck or a doe are 50:50, just like flipping a coin. However, you could flip a coin three times and have it come up heads every flip.

While we don’t know for sure, there is some speculation that herd health might influence gender. There is some evidence that, under stressful conditions like over-population and lack of food, does will give birth to more buck fawns. This could act as a natural population control as females represent the breeding potential of the herd.

There is also evidence, at least in humans, that the male determines sex of the offspring. All the wives of King Henry VIII only gave birth to sons, and ended up losing their heads for it, although it was his fault. That could also be the case for deer. We just don’t know.

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