What's the Difference Between Horns and Antlers?

by OBDK on October 05, 2022
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Do you know the difference between horns and antlers?
 
Antlers:
  • Are on animals like deer, moose, and elk – this is the Cervidae family1&2
  • Grow from the top, instead of the base2
  • Are shed every year, and grow the same way each year3
  • Are used to display dominance by males during breeding season3
 
 
Horns: 
  • Are on animals like cows, goats, and sheep – this is the Bovinae family1&3
  • Are found on both males and females1
  • Grow from the base and are permanent1
  • Are covered in keratin1
 
Big antlers signal that a male is healthy because it takes a lot of energy to grow them. Males will shed their antlers after breeding season. After a couple of weeks, they’ll start to regrow them.3 Shed antlers are a great source of nutrition for other animals – they can get vital nutrients by eating them.2 
 

Read more: How Do Carnivores and Herbivores Affect Their Environment? 
 
Sources: 
  1. https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/news-posts/horns-and-antlers-what-s-the-difference
  2. https://forestsociety.org/something-wild/something-wild-many-benefits-antlers
  3. https://www.fws.gov/story/antlers
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