A new study from the University of Georgia shows that many things marked by deer glow under ultraviolet light, and could affect our understanding of how they communicate.
If you’ve ever walked through the woods, you might have seen tree bark scraped away, or marks dug into the ground.
That could be the sign of deer, and UGA doctoral student Daniel DeRose-Broeckert recently discovered those signs are photoluminescent, meaning they glow under UV light.
(Credit: Daniel DeRose-Broeckert)
“It’s like a chat room, I guess, for deer or a community, just a phone booth of sorts,” he said. “Everybody goes there, they sniff it.”
That’s because deer deposit scent via urine or a few different scent glands, sometimes to communicate during breeding season.
But DeRose-Broeckert said more research could show that the structure of deer eyes allow them to see that glow, and he says that could change things for conservation, hunting and deer management.
