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Yet antlers are commonly retained through the winter and into the spring, [26] suggesting that they have another use. Wolves in Yellowstone National Park are 3.6 times more likely to attack individual male elk without antlers, or groups of elk in which at least one male is without antlers. [26]
Antlers begin to grow on male reindeer in March or April and on female reindeer in May or June. This process is called antlerogenesis. Antlers grow very quickly every year on the bulls. As the antlers grow, they are covered in thick velvet, filled with blood vessels and spongy in texture.
Roosevelt bull antlers can weigh 18 kg (40 lb). [28] The formation and retention of antlers are testosterone-driven. [29] In late winter and early spring, the testosterone level drops, which causes the antlers to shed. [30] Rocky Mountain elk. During the fall, elk grow a thicker coat of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. [31]
Males grow longer and thicker antlers which they use for fighting. Their antlers can grow to be as large as 51 inches long , whereas a female's antlers only grow to around 20 inches long.
Male deer of almost all species (except the water deer), as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year. These antlers are bony extensions of the skull and are often used for combat between males.
Antlers typically measure 71 cm (28 in) in total length and weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb), although large ones can grow to 115 cm (45 in) and weigh 5 kg (11 lb). [8] Antlers, which are made of bone, can grow at a rate of 2.5 cm (1 in) a day. [ 11 ]
A pair of horns on a male impala. Anatomy of an animal's horn. A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent. In mammals, true horns are found mainly among the ruminant ...
Male Alaska moose can stand over 2.1 m (6.9 ft) at the shoulder, and weigh over 635 kg (1,400 lb). When Alaska moose are born, they weigh on average about 28 pounds, but by five months old they can weigh up to 280 pounds. [4] The antlers on average have a span of 1.8 m (5.9 ft). Antler size and conformation are influenced by genetics, nutrition ...