Transcript:
Thanks for tuning in today to Interlochen Public Radio. I’m Cheryl Bartz with a quick look at what’s up outside.
When I’m out in nature, I don’t usually carry my recording equipment because if I keep it turned on, it drains batteries really fast. But if it’s turned off, I miss some fleeting sound I’d like to capture.
Sometimes I get lucky, like I did the other day. I was out collecting bird calls when suddenly, I heard this:
<long deer snort>
That’s a deer forcefully expelling air through its nostrils. Deer snort like that when they detect possible danger.
<short snort>
They’re pack animals and when other deer hear that, they flee with their tail raised. From which we get the phrase hightailing it away.
The snort is often described as a deliberate way to warn other deer. But what if the warning is just a by-product and not intentional?
Try this: Take a deep breath and pay attention to how “big” it feels.
Now, exhale forcefully, pushing all the air you can out of your lungs and then a little more.
Now, inhale as deeply as you can…. Does that second inhalation feel bigger?
Imagine you’re a deer, trying to identify a potentially dangerous smell. After the first whiff, wouldn’t you want to clear your nostrils and take an even deeper breath to better identify the smell?
And if your exhalation happened to whistle through your nostrils…and if that made other deer take notice…well, that would be a bonus!
So that’s my hypothesis: Over time, the sound of a deer exhaling deeply became linked in deer minds with potential danger.
That would make the sound of the deer snort a helpful side effect of clearing their nostrils rather than an intentional heads-up to other deer.
So far, no evolutionary biologists have confirmed this.
<deer snort>
This is Interlochen Public Radio.