Richard Collins: Why stags indulge in their own fake news and spin

Antlers are not the only string to a stag’s bow; rutting males indulge also in exhaustive ’singing’ competitions

A Red stag believed to be the largest ever seen in Killarney National Park. Photo: Peter O'Toole

A ‘Royal’ stag has 12 antler ‘points’.An ‘Imperial’ one has 16. Killarney’s ‘ Grand Master,’ with 21, is almost certainly Ireland’s largest deer(Irish Examiner, October 15).

Huge amounts of food are required to develop such spectacular adornments and a new pair must be grown each year. But the effort pays off; large antlers intimidate rival males during the autumn rut. They also suggest that the owner’s sperm count is equally impressive, encouraging hinds to join his ‘harem’ of concubines.