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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]
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.
It’s a common belief in the world of deer that males have antlers and females don’t, but reindeer serve as the exception. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers. Both male and female ...
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.
Giraffidae: Giraffids have a pair of skin covered bony bumps on their heads, called ossicones. Cervidae: Most deer have antlers, which are not true horns due to lacking a bone core and made of keratin. Rhinocerotidae: The "horns" of rhinos are made of keratin and lack a bone core.
In most deer species, only the males grow antlers. However, both male and female reindeer grow antlers. There are rare cases in other deer species in which the females grow little antlers, but ...
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.
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.