A deer with a unique coat has been spotted around the county and may only have survived because it resides in Marin, a wildlife expert said.
Photographer Norm Levin of Terra Linda was peering into his backyard earlier this week when he saw about a dozen deer on the northern facing hill of the Sleepy Hollow/Terra Linda divide.
One of the deer stood out.
"This black-tailed deer herd was notable for the white-headed deer that appeared to be its leader," Levin wrote in an e-mail to the Independent Journal. "It was the most alert of the group and when it heard my family chattering, (it) turned to lead the females and fawns further up the hill into the woods."
The deer was apparently dealt a rare hand by Mother Nature out of her innumerable bag of tricks.
It has a genetic oddity called leucism, a condition characterized by the reduced pigmentation in animals caused by a recessive gene, said Melanie Piazza, director of animal care at WildCare in San Rafael.
While fascinating to the human eye, if the deer roamed an area where there were more predators it probably wouldn't survive, Piazza said.
"This is rare to see because it stands out to predators and they usually do not survive long," she said.
Piazza asked the public to give the deer its space if it is seen as to not frighten it.
A similar deer was seen about three years ago in the San Rafael area being followed by a fawn that had inherited the same patterning. It is possible that fawn was the same deer photographed by Levin.
"I've lived in Terra Linda for more than 21 years and have never seen a white-headed deer," Levin wrote. "Simply stunning!"
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