Unicorn deer killed in Celje, Slovenia. The skeleton of the unique animal, which was previously shot by a hunter, had a startling deformity that is believed to have been caused by a related injury when his antlers were still starting to grow.
Although it may be true that unicorns only exist in fairy tales, despite multiple attempts from the public to disprove so, the single antler on the deer might have been very convincing from afar. It was a roe deer with a rare antler deformity that caused it to grow a single cone-shaped bone that protruded from the very center of its head.
Antlers that have strange shapes are actually pretty common in deer, as they are often caused by an underlying deformity. However, scientist Bostian Pokorny has mentioned that the case of the Slovenian unicorn deer killed was unlike any other that he has ever seen.
Dr. Pokorny, who is also the assistant director of the ecological research institute Erico Velenje, informed National Geographic, that the antlers of male roe deer are bilateral. They have a tendency to grow from two different places on the skull, and they are otherwise referred to as pedicles.
"However, in the case of this very untypical and interesting buck, both pedicles, which should be separated, grew up together in one large pedicle," Pokorny noted.
The image of the skeleton of the unicorn deer killed will be seen in the December issue of National Geographic Slovenia magazine. In this particular nation, hunters are permitted to shoot deer, since they are relatively abundant in the country. The unicorn deer killed was thought to have been selected due to its age.
Deer can lose their antlers in a variety of ways. One can even fall off when they rut during breeding season. The other one that is left is then referred to as a "spike." According to Pokorny, it is highly unlikely that the hunter could have chosen the deer to kill because of its massive resemblance to a unicorn. The animal would have looked like a normal roe deer with an ordinary spike.
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