56 Nebraskaland • March 2021
By Brian Peterson
A white-tailed deer's antlers are shed each winter as
testosterone levels decrease.
A bison's horns continue to grow each year atop a bony
core.
BASICS
antler
orns and antlers, decorative headgear sported
by some of Nebraska's best-known species,
are not the same. Horns are keratin, a hair-like
sheath, that grows over a bony core throughout an
animal's life. They are found on pronghorn, bison, cattle,
goats and sheep. Antlers, however, are bones that grow
each spring and summer and are shed, or cast, late the
following winter as the animal's testosterone levels
decrease. You'll find them on deer and elk.
Antlers grow up to a half inch per day and are one
of the fastest growing living tissues on Earth. Growth
begins days after antler shedding, and antler size
will be determined by age, nutrition and genetics.
Other factors that affect antler size and shape
include drought, disease, injury, mineral availability,
population density or birth date. Freshly shed antlers
are determined by the presence of a skin ring, blood or
hair at an antler's base known as the pedicle seal.
H
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
PHOTO
BY
JUSTIN
HAAG
THE SCIENCE OF
