why do deer have antlers?

Introduction

Do you ever wonder why deer have antlers? Well this website will tell you why deer have antlers. Some people call antlers "horns" , but this really isn't true. Deer antlers are actually made of bone and velvet.

How antlers grow

An antler is one of the fastest growing body parts known to man. Another thing is that growing antlers takes a lot of work on a deer’s body.

Antlers grow off of the front part of a deer's heads. Deer antlers only appear full-grown in the fall. It takes 120 days for deer antlers to grow.

The pedicel is the main part of a deer’s antler. This is the foundation of a deer's antler. Velvet is what sheds off of a deer's antler. Velvet is a soft, hairy skin tissue. Bone is the main part of deer's antler.

Bucks

Bucks are the male deer and the doe are the female deer. Only bucks have antlers. The females do not have antlers. Bucks use their antlers to fight to see who is stronger. The stronger male mates with the female.

SIZE and Shape

It depends on the age of a deer for the size of its antler. Deer that are older have bigger antlers than younger deer.

Damage to the part that holds the antler during growing season can result in unusual antlers in many ways. Most weird or odd shaped racks are a result of damage to the antlers, and not genetics.

losing and regrowing antlers

Testosterone is a male hormone that causes the antler to shed. Deer lose their antlers during winter.

Bucks start to regrow their antlers in April and at the end of summer time the antlers will be hardened.

Every year deer lose their antlers again during winter. As a deer get older their antlers get larger and have more points until the deer are about 4 years old, then their antlers do not grow longer.