In nature, you will find a lot of strange things, especially in the animal kingdom. That doesn’t mean we ever stop surprising them.
Now a new report from Quality Whitetails magazine, magazine of the National Deer Association, we rarely met: a deer with hairy eyes.
Yes, you read that right the deer had hair on their eyes.
“I described a lot of weird deer in my career as a hunting journalist, and if I gathered all of them for a freak show at a festival, this is the main place to draw. Step up if you ask. See the buck with hairy eyes! “wrote the journalist.
The deer were found on a busy street seemingly completely unaware that it was surrounded by humans. When officers arrested and admitted him for examination to the Southeastern Collaborative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) unit of the University of Georgia veterinary school he was diagnosed with epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) .
This explained why the deer were walking in circles and without any fear of those around them. Deer suffering from the EHD virus have been reported to have high fever and other anxiety symptoms. But he did not explain the hairy eyes.
The SCWDS described hair follicles as corneal dermoids.
“Dermoids are a type of choristoma, which is defined as a normal substance in an abnormal place. Accordingly, dermoids characterized by a skin-like skin rash appear on the body elsewhere than on the skin, ”wrote Dr. Nicole Nemeth and research technologist Michelle Willis in a formal report for the SCWDS.
“In corneal dermoids, like this deer, there are often elements of normal skin, including hair follicles, sweat glands, collagen, and fat. The masses are usually noninvasive. and are congenital, possibly due to an embryonal developmental defect. ”
Experts said the deer may not have been born with the very rare condition but may have developed it over time. This would explain why he was able to survive so long despite being largely blind. Deer are the second recorded case of corneal dermoids in whitetail.