05/21/2026
When these two skulls ( a buck & a doe) came out of the bugs I noticed something odd. They had 2 extra teeth that all of the other skulls didn't have. So naturally I took to the internet to do some research and what I found was pretty cool. There is a rare genetic occurrence where some deer grow these little front teeth which are a genetic hold over from a time when their ancestors possessed tusks. At one point in time deer and other cervids had tusks and smaller antlers but over time some species lost those tusks while a few still have them. These little "teeth" are the same as the ivories and Elk posses. Check out the article below for a more in depth explanation.
https://www.themeateater.com/wired-to-hunt/whitetail-management/why-some-whitetails-grow-fangs