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Mane Line
By Bob Humphrey
Q: I noticed fine longer hair on this doe, on her head and a line down back of her neck almost like a very fine mane. Is this common?
A: Yes. Most deer show some type of hair line down the back of their neck. Most often it’s just a different color, usually darker. Sometimes it’s longer and bristly. This is what biologists refer to as a vestige or vestigial trait, or sometimes atavism. It’s a genetic trait passed down from the whitetail’s progenitors - common ancestors in the deer family tree that once had manes. The odds of a maned deer are about 1 in 10,000. That’s still more common than a whitetail with canine teeth, which do occur, rarely.