Fallow deer 'groans' attract female deer

NOTTINGHAM, England, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A British study has determined female fallow deer are attracted to the low timber and deep vibrations exhibited by dominant male deer

Scientists from the University of Nottingham said data taken from a deer herd in Phoenix Park, Dublin, indicate males with high dominance status also have the deepest "groans" -- the name given the call of small Eurasian deer called fallow deer -- and are more successful acquiring matings.

The researchers -- led by biologist Alan McElligott, who has been studying the behavior and biology of fallow deer since 1992 -- discovered males can groan up to 60 times a minute during the rut, or deer mating season. That can increase to as many as 90 times a minute immediately after mating.

The scientists also found deer with the deepest groans were also superior fighters in the herd, even though they might not be the largest in terms of body size.

"The research gives us an insight into the evolution of vocal communication in a mammal, which also has implications for early human vocal development," McElligott said.

The study appears in the online journal PLoS One.