Driving on the LIE yesterday and I catch a glimpse up ahead of a very stocky animal, with very dark brownish-black fur. I slowed down in the right lane so I could rubber neck until I got a good visual, but all I could see was its rear end. It was very busy eating something with its head close to the ground, so I couldn’t see its head or face.
My first thought was a freakishly giant rottweiler, because it had lighter patches flanking its butt. No, this guy was much bigger than a dog could ever get. I think. I thought it had to be a deer but I had never seen one so bulky and deep chestnut in color. Now my imagination was revving. I turned to an amazing FB group Long Island Wildlife Photography for answers, and sure enough several local photographers had shared photos that looked like what I had seen.
So not all LI deer look like Bambi. I found out this was a Sika deer (pictured below – not my photo, but taken here), a species in the elk family and originally from Japan, apparently brought over here decades ago. There are also Piebald deer on LI, which I have never seen, that have mottled patterns of white and brown. They can look albino at times but technically aren’t. Huh. Still learning.
Photos were all taken on LI. Credits go to Kathleen Haley, Marianne Barnett, Meghan Hildreth Dyckova, Paul Sturek, and Fred Roerden.
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