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Female reindeer grow antlers that are significantly smaller than their male counterparts. Male reindeer grow antlers as long as 50 inches after multiple seasons of shedding. Females grow 20-inch ...
While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. [6] Antlers are considered one of the most exaggerated cases of male secondary sexual traits in the animal kingdom, [10] and grow faster than any other mammal bone. [11]
Male antlers grow more branching points and measure anywhere between 39 inches and 53 inches in beam length, whereas female antlers only measure about 20 inches and generally have a simpler structure.
Only the stags have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each year, usually at the end of winter. 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]
Male deer do these most often during breeding season. [citation needed] During the rut (known as the rutting period and in domestic sheep management as tupping), males often rub their antlers or horns on trees or shrubs, fight with each other, wallow in mud or dust, self-anoint, and herd estrus females together. These displays make the male ...
However, both male and female reindeer grow antlers. There are rare cases in other deer species in which the females grow little antlers, but this is usually a result of abnormal hormone levels.
If the antlers are damaged while they are in velvet they can cause nontypical features due to the soft nature of the antler tissue while growing. [6] The velvet will fall off of the deer when their antlers start to harden in late summer to early fall to get ready for mating season in the winter.
Reindeer vs. Whitetail Deer: Antlers Female reindeer have antlers, and notably retain their antlers during the winter. Male reindeer, on the other hand, lose their antlers during winter and regrow ...