Rare black deer spotting in northern Michigan

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- Even when you're used to seeing deer, sometimes you must do a double take.

This rare "pitch black" deer was recently spotted and photographed in northern Michigan by viewer John Roach.

Steve Griffith, a Wildlife Biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), says the black deer spotted is a rarity, called a "melanistic whitetail.”

He says they’re even harder to spot than albino deer.

"I’ve never seen one, and I have been working for the DNR for 20 years. My understanding is it's rare, I’ve seen several albino deer including at least one in the Traverse City area,” said Griffith. "So, this will be the other end of the spectrum from an albino deer. This is the first one."

Griffith said melanistic deer have a genetic mutation that causes their bodies to produce too much pigment known as melanin- which gives them their dark coloring.

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