There are several reasons deer shed antlers. Antlers are certainly “monuments to calcium metabolism,” so why do deer shed them every year just to start growing them again within a few months? It would appear to be a terrible waste of energy and not very adaptive. They can get really heavy as well-moose are the largest living deer and their antlers can weigh up to 77 pounds. Growing a set of antlers is very energetically demanding-they are the fastest-growing vertebrate tissue, including cancer. Antlers are shed in winter, following the mating season, when day lengths become shorter. They are full grown before the fall mating season. As day lengths increase in spring, antlers begin to grow. The yearly antler cycle of deer in temperate regions is closely tied to the changing seasons and is driven by the relative length of daylight and night. Antlers' use as defensive weapons against predators is a secondary benefit. To mix a metaphor-the top dog has the biggest antlers. Antlers allow males to establish dominance hierarchies with other males for access to females. They primarily function as weapons and indicators of status. Antlers are not an “extravagance of nature,” but are highly useful. Unlike horns, antlers are made of bone, have tines, usually are found only on males, and are deciduous, that is, they are shed every year. Peak antler size is attained during middle age very young or very old animals tend to have smaller antlers.Īntlers are different from horns, which we see on antelope, sheep, and cows. The size of an individual’s antlers depends on its overall body condition (which depends on availability of good habitat), genetics, and age. As most people are aware, only male deer have them-again with one exception: female caribou also are adorned. Large species like elk and caribou have large, heavy antlers with numerous projecting spikes called points or tines.Īlmost all species of deer have antlers-the only one that doesn’t is the Chinese water deer. Small deer such as the southern pudu have small, short, simple antlers that form a single spike on each side of the head. But how much do we really know about antlers? They are made of bone, and vary considerably in size and shape among the 50 different deer species in the world. Most of us here in North America know a white-tailed deer when we see one. Wild Thing is an occasional series where JHU Press authors write about the flora and fauna of the natural world-from the rarest flower to the most magnificent beast.
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