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Antlers originated once in the cervid lineage. [35] The earliest fossil remains of antlers that have been found are dated to the early Miocene, about 17 million years ago. These early antlers were small and had just two forks. [35] As antlers evolved, they lengthened and gained many branches, or tines, becoming more complex. [35]
A leading hypothesis for why female caribou evolved to grow antlers suggests their antlers are the result of evolutionary changes due to their habitat. Cold tundra with a notable lack of resources ...
When fully developed, antlers are dead bone without a horn or skin covering; they are borne only by adults (usually males, except for reindeer) and are shed and regrown each year. Rhinocerotidae: The "horns" of rhinoceroses are made of keratin, the same substance as fingernails, and grow continuously, but do not have a bone core.
Antlers are unique to cervids and found mostly on males: the only cervid females with antlers are caribou and reindeer, whose antlers are normally smaller than males'. Nevertheless, fertile does of other species of deer have the capacity to produce antlers on occasion, usually due to increased testosterone levels. [ 61 ]
Reindeer have more prominent and denser antlers than whitetail deer. However, the critical difference is in sexual dimorphism. Female reindeer have antlers, while female whitetail deer don’t.
The other major difference is that antlers undergo an annual cycle of shedding and growth, whereas horns are normally kept for the animal’s entire lifespan (though the pronghorn is an exception ...
Males also usually have a single median ossicone on the frontal bone that is larger in northern animals and smaller in southern giraffes. [3] Giraffes can also have small additional paired occipital ossicones on the occipital bones, paired orbital ossicones associated with eyes, and azygous ossicones.
Two men who enjoy looking for antlers share their insights on why you should also be looking for these natural treasures.