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Antler

 

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Antler



 
 
Antlers are the usually large and complex horn
Horn (anatomy)

A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various mammals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone....
-like appendages of most deer
Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
 species, mostly worn by males in true horns. Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle
Pedicle

Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:*pedicle of vertebral arch , the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures...
. While an antler is growing it is covered with highly vascular
Blood vessel

The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the artery, which carry the blood away from the heart, the capillary, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and the tissues; and the veins, which carry blood from...
 skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone; once the antler has achieved its proper size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies.






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Antlers are the usually large and complex horn
Horn (anatomy)

A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various mammals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone....
-like appendages of most deer
Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
 species, mostly worn by males in true horns. Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle
Pedicle

Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:*pedicle of vertebral arch , the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures...
. While an antler is growing it is covered with highly vascular
Blood vessel

The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the artery, which carry the blood away from the heart, the capillary, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and the tissues; and the veins, which carry blood from...
 skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone; once the antler has achieved its proper size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler. Antlers are shed after each mating season.

An advancer, a term used by hunters, is one of the starts or branches of a buck
Buck

Buck may refer to:People:*Buck *Buck Places:* Buck Hill Farm Covered Bridge, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States...
's attire between the back antler
Antler

Antlers are the usually large and complex horn -like appendages of most deer species, mostly worn by males in true horns. Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle....
 and the "palm" (the flattened part of the antlers). In other words, it is the second branch of a buck's horn.

Antlers appear to act as large hearing aids. This effect was discovered by researchers George and Peter Bubenik and published the findings in the European Journal of Wildlife in March 2008. Moose with antlers have far more sensitive hearing than moose without. The Bubeniks then studied trophy antlers with an artificial ear, confirming the discovery of the effects on hearing by acting as a parabolic reflector.

Examples of various types of antlers


See also

  • Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
    Abbots Bromley Horn Dance

    The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance is an English folk dance involving antlers that takes place each year in Abbots Bromley, a small village in Staffordshire, England....


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