This 4x4 bulk elk still has velvet on its antlers. This means the antlers were still growing in June when this picture was taken.
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A closer view of a bighorn sheep ram horns.
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Mule deer in the fall after velvet has fallen off, exposing the bones of its antlers.
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This is an older bison. It falls in the category of aged 15+. Notice that the keratin of this bison's horns is rubbed smooth, which happens over time and with wallowing sessions. I say because I can't see the bison's profile to see other characteristics of age.
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Antlers
Characteristics
- Found on members of the deer family, elk, mule deer, and moose.
- Composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels.
- Found on males, only with the exception of reindeer/caribou.
- Has multiple points.
- Velvet is lost before the rut. The velvet is the skin, nerves, and blood vessels.
- Shed and regrown yearly.
- Falls off after the rut due to the drop in testosterone.
- When growing, the velvet covers the bone and supplies blood that carries food and oxygen.
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Horns
Characteristics
- Found on bison and bighorn sheep.
- Composed of bone on the inside and a thick layer of keratin on the outside.
- Horns are on both male and female bison. Female bighorn sheep have horns, which are never as large as rams' horns.
- Has a single point.
- Horns never shed.
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Male, buck, pronghorn with a closer view of its horns.
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Horns of Pronghorns
Characteristics
The horns of a pronghorn are a blend of horn and antler characteristics. It is in a category of its own.
- Shared with both antlers and horns
- Shares with horns
- The outside covering is keratin
- Shares with antlers
- Has multiple points on the horn
- Only it does
- Sheds only its sheath and regrown annually
- Horns are not dropped
- Antler velvet is first shed, then later, the bone is dropped
- Only 70% of females have horns that are much smaller than male
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