Hi all. I saw a white deer with two white fawns

[johnnyfins]

Over the weekend. New Jersey pinelands. Was driving my daughter to the beach and they popped out of the brush on the shoulder. What a magnificent sight. I have never seen this before. Anyone ever see one?

My daughter thought they were goats

[GPV]

1. Maybe identical twins? I would think getting

two albino fawns the other way would be less likely.

[paleotn]

17. Unless they got the mutation from both parents, it's unlikely to occur in both. Or to your point, identical twins.

Interesting nonetheless. I've saw one long ago. It was quite a sight!

[Cadfael]

2. A story about the white deer of Argonne National Laboratory

Sadly they’re gone now, but I used to see them when we went to Rocky Glen when I was a kid

https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/July-2016/Argonne-National-Laboratory/

Editing, apparently the tribune only allows print subscribers access

[Lochloosa]

3. I remeber this from elementry school

In Chickasaw folklore, white animals—especially albino deer—are deeply sacred and considered magical. The most famous story involves a brave warrior named Blue Jay, who fell in love with Bright Moon, the daughter of a tribal chief. To test him, the disapproving chief demanded a nearly impossible bride price: the flawless hide of a sacred White Deer to use as a wedding dress. After three grueling weeks of hunting in the wilderness, Blue Jay's determination is rewarded, symbolizing the power of true love and devotion in Chickasaw tradition.

[TrunKated]

4. Were they wearing sailor-style school uniforms?

[johnnyfins]

7. haha.

[MustLoveBeagles]

5. Wow 😳

Thanks for sharing

[johnnyfins]

8. i was driving so no pics. sorry.

[MustLoveBeagles]

9. It's okay 👍

[2naSalit]

6. There is a small herd of them in Wisconsin...

People used to post pictures of them, before ai was a thing.

Lots of copyrighted pics here:

https://www.lifeinthenorthwoods.com/Nature/Albino-White-tailed-Deer

[GiqueCee]

14. Very cool photos...

... I don't think these deer are albino, though; I believe they're called leucistic, because they don't have pink eyes. I think it's a recessive gene or something, but I recall reading that it can happen in all warm-blooded animals, apparently.

[Stacey Grove]

10. I was on a trail in the driftless region of Illinois

on the day after the 2024 election.

Sunrise. A mighty buck swooped onto the trail in front of me, his nostrils flared, while several deer ran behind him across the trail.

I froze in my tracks, this majestic creature was just a few feet away from me.

I felt awestruck.

After the other deer ran across, he bounded up right after them.

Sounds like you have a lifetime memory from what you saw.

[twodogsbarking]

11. Gowing up there was an albino white tail on our farm. About 80% white.

[Easterncedar]

12. There's a herd in NY, descended from an English gift or something

I am too lazy to look it up.

But I once saw here in Maine a fabulous mature white buck standing in the road under a full moon. I thought it was a magical beast, and was awe-struck, but it was apparently real and on the run from a couple of local guys who had seen it and were hunting it down. They were very proud of themselves in the picture with the carcass that was in the newspaper a few days later.

[PufPuf23]

13. White Deerskin Dance

The White Deerskin Dance, or Xonsil-ch´idilye, is a significant ceremonial event for the Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk tribes, occurring in late summer or fall and lasting between ten to sixteen days. This ceremony serves as a world-renewal ritual that celebrates and restores the cycles of life within the natural world, particularly emphasizing the life cycle of the salmon, which is crucial to the Yurok people's sustenance. Beyond a mere retelling of the Yurok creation story, the dance functions to realign the relationship between the human community and nature, ensuring that seasonal cycles continue harmoniously.

The ceremony consists of multiple components, culminating in additional rituals such as the Ta:´altul, or "Boat Dance," which gathers prayers from the past and present, followed by the Xay-ch´idilye, or "Jump Dance," aimed at dispelling evil and promoting prosperity. The term "White Deerskin Dance," attributed by non-Indigenous observers, refers to the decorated deerskins used in the ceremony, which symbolize purity and clarity rather than a specific color. The concept of "white" in this context embodies higher virtues and represents an ancient lineage of noble beings within Indigenous traditions, reflecting deep cultural significance and respect for ancestral values.

====================================

TRIBE AFFECTED: Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk
SIGNIFICANCE: This world-renewal ceremony celebrates the continuing cycles of life

The Xonsil-ch´idilye, or the White Deerskin Dance, is one of three ceremonies performed in succession during the late summer or fall, lasting from ten to sixteen days. While essentially a reenactment of the Yurok creation story, it is much more than a retelling: This Indigenous American dance itself is thought to put the world back in order. The ceremony is designed to correct temporary flaws in the relationship of the human community to the natural world and thus enable the seasonal cycles to continue properly. At the center of the story is the life cycle of the salmon, the main source of sustenance along the rivers of the Yurok homeland. Near the end of the ten days, another religious ceremony, the Ta:´altul, meaning "Boat Dance," is conducted to gather past and present prayers. The final ceremony is the Xay-ch´idilye, or "Jump Dance." Special Jump Dance baskets are woven for the ceremony, which aims to remove evil from the world and bring in prosperity.

The name “White Deerskin Dance” was given to this ceremony by non-Indigenous people and is something of a misnomer. “White” refers to specially prepared deerskins, decorated with feathers, shells, and other materials, that are held up on poles by the dancers during the exoteric portion of the ceremony. The skins are not always white in color.

White, for the Yurok and other Indigenous peoples who engage in the ceremony, represents not only a color but also a concept of something pure and clear. It also refers to a tradition of an ancient race of people, called “white” or “clear,” who embodied the highest virtues and nobility.

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/environmental-sciences/white-deerskin-dance

[Maru Kitteh]

15. This is where my rationality goes to gruel. In the face of powerful experiences

with other animals, such as your encounter. I do not consider myself superstitious at all. I am an evidence-based human, but I absolutely understand those who see another world apart in the faces of nature.
I was driving home one late afternoon on the icy highways of western Montana. Dusty indigo hills break between the snow and sky, lit in pastel apricots, lavender and muted shades of cornflower. By the road I suddenly see a black wolf with luminous golden eyes on a carcass - looking straight into me the way a person who has always known you sees you from across a crowded room, but here, in the quiet and the wild. It was a moment that felt profound.

[paleotn]

16. Whoa! That highly unusual. The genes expressed in both offspring.

Supposedly it's very good luck. My advice, buy lottery tickets heavily!

[TomSlick]

18. I'm surprised the deer lived to reproduction age.

Being white should be a trait that natural selection would not reward.

[Talitha]

19. While living in Illinois I saw the white Deer herd at Argonne Labs - absolutely stunning.

They're not albinos...

" ..the deer are perfectly normal fallow deer (Dama dama), a naturally light colored species native to North Africa, Europe and parts of Asia. There are about 40 on the Argonne site."

"The deer roam freely on the Argonne site; sometimes wandering through the entrances and ending up as far away as Lockport, 12 miles from the Laboratory, and Fermilab, 17 miles away. But most stay within the Laboratory’s confines. Argonne does not own the deer, or feed them."

An old .pdf document put out by Argonne Labs includes info about the herd.
https://www.ne.anl.gov/About/Argonne_2006_Open_House.pdf