Who doesn't like to follow trends?
We all like to follow trends whether it is declaring your love for oat milk, only eating air-fried fries, baking bread at the start of the pandemic or putting turmeric on anything edible. We do it because we want to stay relevant and not lag behind the times.
Deer do something similar, especially the males. They will start growing their antlers during the spring season, growing well into the summer season. Growing these antlers takes its toll on their bodies since they need to use most of the calcium in growing these antlers. They will then use these antlers to woo the females and fight off the other males who want to eat their piece of the pudding. But when winter arrives, they will drop off these antlers so they can absorb that calcium back to other bones in their bodies. Sometimes, there is a couple of weeks delay between dropping the first antler and the second one.
When I spotted this male White-tailed deer in Virginia, I initially thought I had proved all the deniers wrong by having proof that unicorns do exist, alas it was simply the case of the lag between dropping both the antlers. Just so you know, I have previously proved those same deniers wrong when they said Santa Claus is not real, but I got a picture of one sitting with kids in a mall in Milpitas.
One of the common spiders we find on our trails and near sources of water is the wolf spider. Unlike your usual mom-and-pop spider, these ones will hunt their prey without making any webs. They will rely on their eyes to help them find their lunch. A pair of larger eyes compared to its other eyes gives clues that the spider can see well.
One thing that makes this spider fascinating is unlike other insects or spiders who freak out when they are put on water, wolf spiders will proactively use the water to their advantage to explore new areas or escape from predators.
Below is a wolf spider who takes to the seas without hesitation when I ask if fertilization is external for mermaids or not.
This is possible since this wolf spider hasn't accrued the extra weight during the pandemic and is still lighter in a way that it doesn't break the surface tension of water. Also they distribute their weight by stretching each of their 8 legs.
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