Why deer shed their antlers
Deer (and other animals such as elk) shed their antlers
every year and then grow a complete new "rack". This shedding procedure takes two
or three weeks to complete,
while the regeneration takes the entire summer to conclude - and the cycle
begins again. With the sole exception of reindeer (both male and female),
male deer shed their antlers between January and April after the mating season.
By then, antlers are no longer necessary to attract females, or challenge other
male competitors. Antlers are much different than the horns of cows or buffalo
(which are hollow).
|
|
|
Antlers are made up of a honeycombed bone like tissue. The
mounting points on the heads of deer from which the antlers grow are called
pedicles. The antlers break off (are shed) from these pedicles. Pedicles appear on a young deer's forehead during his first year. The
next year, he will develop small shafts, and
by year three the first "branch" will appear. As the deer matures the
antlers will lengthen and develop additional branches. You can tell the age
of a deer just by counting the branches.
While in the growth phase, the antlers are covered in "velvet",
a layer of skin that supplies the budding antlers with the nutrients needed to
build the bone mass. The antlers will grow rapidly for 2-4 months.
When the velvet is no longer needed, a ring at the bottom of the antler shaft
forms and cuts off the supply of blood and nutrients. The velvet withers and
begins to fall off. As a rule this process is facilitated by the deer by
rubbing his antlers against trees. The whole process is repeated every
year for the rest of his life. Read more
about deer antler velvet...
|
