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An antler bow, made in the early 19th century, is on display at Brooklyn Museum. Its manufacture is attributed to the Yankton Sioux. [51] Through history large deer antler from a suitable species (e.g. red deer) were often cut down to its shaft and its lowest tine and used as a one-pointed pickax. [52] [53]
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.
Horns develop in the periosteum over the frontal bone, and can be curved or straight. [4] Surface features on the keratin sheath (e.g., ridges or twists) are thought to be caused by differential rates of growth around the bone core. [4] Antlers are bony structures that are shed and replaced each year in members of the family Cervidae.
Reindeer antlers can be fashioned into all kinds of tools, including knife handles, shovels, and drying racks. Each part of the antler seems to have its own particular use in some cultures.
Antlers of all deer are made of bone, but they aren't permanent. At some point during the year, a reindeer will shed its antlers and grow new ones to take their place.
[39] [40] The unique horn structure is the only unambiguous morphological feature of bovids that distinguishes them from other pecorans. [41] [42] A high correlation exists between horn morphology and fighting behaviour of the individual. For instance, long horns are intended for wrestling and fencing, whereas curved horns are used in ramming. [43]
Antlers are considered one of the most exaggerated cases of male secondary sexual traits in the animal kingdom, [63] and grow faster than any other mammal bone. [64] Growth occurs at the tip, initially as cartilage that is then mineralized to become bone. Once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies.
Similar to species with horns or antlers, male giraffes use their ossicones as weapons during combat, where they use their heads as clubs: the ossicones add weight and concentrate the force of impact onto a small area, allowing it to deliver heavier blows with higher contact pressure. [4]