As you can see in my photo of these twin Whitetail Fawns, their spots are fading. The spots on Whitetail Fawn fade at around three to four months old.
Fawns are born with distinctive white spots on their reddish-brown coats, which provide excellent camouflage against predators. These spots are thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to help protect fawns from danger in their early days. The spots act as disruptive camouflage, breaking up the outline of the fawn and making it harder for predators to see.
As fawns grow and become more mobile, they start to lose their spots. This process typically begins at around three to four months of age and takes several weeks to complete. The spots will gradually fade and eventually disappear, as the fawn’s fur changes to a more solid brown color.
The loss of spots is an important part of a fawn’s life cycle, as it signifies a transition from a dependent young deer to a more independent, self-sufficient animal. Fawns that are no longer spotted are more difficult to spot by predators and are better able to defend themselves from danger.
I was near the 4-corners intersection at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I spotted these two Fawns. I had my camera and lens resting on a bean bag draped over the open window of my pickup.
Gear Used:
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
- Lens: Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM
Technical:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date & Time Taken: September 12, 2018 (07:14:01 A.M.)
- Aperture Priority
- Aperture: f5.6
- Shutter speed: 1/160 sec. and 1/200 (as determined by the camera)
- ISO: 2000 and 1000
- White Balance: Auto
- Metering Mode: Evaluative
- Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
- Back-button Focus
- Single Point Continuous Auto Focus
- Focal Length: 400 mm
- Processed With Luminar 4