Close view of a male deer, looking up at the camera, who has just shed his antlers, revealing two bloody red pedicles (mounting points) on his head.

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Columbian black-tailed bucks shed their antlers every winter in response to shorter length of daylight and lower testosterone levels. The mounting points, or pedicles, are raw and bloody at first, but harden up and scab over within a few days. In spring, new antlers start to grow from the pedicles again.

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Size: 4000px × 3285px
Location: Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada
Photo credit: © Laurie MacBride / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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