Around January every year, deer have a drop in testosterone, which causes the tissue in their antlers to weaken and shed. But don’t worry, they grow back! This process can be important for the males, as their antlers may have been damaged during fighting for dominance. Shedding and regrowing their antlers gives them a fresh start for the new year.
Deer Antlers and Their Function
Deer antlers are more than just decorations. One of the main functions of their antlers is to determine dominance. Unfortunately for them, they can’t decide how big their antlers will be, this is based on nutrition, gender, and genetics. Males tend to have bigger and stronger antlers in order to fight off competitors. Fight for your girl buddy!
Nature’s Sculpted Wonders
These natural sculptures are made out of bone and cartilage. They can weigh up to 8kg. Imagine how heavy that must be! Generally, only the males will grow antlers, however, sometimes females can too. This can occur when they are having testosterone hormone imbalance issues.
The Act of Dominance
When fighting for dominance the males stick out their heads, flatten their ears, and glare at each other. (Yes, I did try to do it) They then lock their antlers together and wrestle. They don’t usually have their watches on so the fight can range from one hit to almost 10 minutes. The sad side is that sometimes their antlers can get stuck and they become trapped together. The deer are unable to survive like this, unable to get free they pass away there in their trapped position.
Antler Architecture
With about 90 deer species, there are multiple different forms of deer antlers. Some of the most well-known deer would include the whitetail, elk, moose, and caribou. Although they are all different they still use their antlers for the same purposes, fighting for the ladies, attracting the ladies, and fighting for dominance. The main reason for the various deer types is because of their weight. A small deer will not be able to carry a set of 8kg antlers. His poor body might break!
From Velvet To Victory
The antler bone and cartilage are covered in velvet that contains hormones such as estrogen and estradiol. These hormones assist the cells of the antlers in growing and remaining in good health. After rut/mating season the deer go through a big drop in their testosterone levels. This drop triggers the shredding of their antlers.
Stop Drop and Grow
The shred tends to happen from January to March every year. The process doesn’t hurt them, the cells have died when the antlers are ready to drop off. By the time August/September comes around, their new antlers have grown in and are ready for action.
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