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Belling red deer
Edelhert - Red deer - Cervus elaphus hippelaphus. Living in Apeldoorn which is situated in a nature area called Veluwe, is a great prerogative regarding wildlife. Many red deer, roe deer, fallow dear, wild boar and foxes live in the forest. With luck, and some knowledge of the area, you may encounter them when walking those forests. They are the largest species of deer. Late summer, early autumn the mating seasons begins, and the belling is an impressive part of it. A strong harrowing sound which carries for miles.
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa.
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"Red deer (Cervus elaphus) are relatively calm, peaceful animals until autumn comes around and rutting (mating) season begins. Having spent the year in single sex herds, the autumn rut sees male stags rounding up harems of female deer. The bigger the harem a male acquires, the more offspring he will produce. With increased amounts of testosterone pumping through their bodies, the majestic stags engage in fierce battles for control over a harem. They size each other up, mark themselves with mud and urine, grunt, roar, toss their heads, chase each other, and clash their antlers as the battle ensues. The stronger stag with the loudest bellow becomes the dominant male and thus wins mating rights for that harem. These battles are stunning spectacles of bravado that appear quite dramatic, but are mostly just showmanship with violence as a last resort. Ironically, the smaller, younger stags are quite clever in that they sneak around the edge of the harem and mate with females while the larger males are busy fighting. These weaker stags may never control a harem, but they still get to mate, and they never have to fight to prove their prowess! {Spotted in the Netherlands by JungleDragon user, CathDH} #JungleDragon" Posted 6 years ago