Deer shed their antlers at the end of winter - at the beginning of spring. Old deer get rid of them much earlier than young ones. Antlers are the pride of any deer: they are used in the fight for the female, used for self-defense against predators, and even help deer to get their own food in winter.
Antlers are the pride of a deer
Deer antlers are the most striking feature that distinguishes these beautiful animals from all others. When they grow, they are covered with sensitive and delicate skin, thoroughly permeated with blood vessels. It is these vessels that nourish the bone of the horns, increasing it.
After a while, the blood circulation, which delivers nutrients to the horns, stops. A ring forms at the base of the horns, causing them to fall off. In this case, the deer is said to have thrown off its antlers. The time it takes for new antlers to grow can take anywhere from two to four months. This issue should be considered in more detail.
Why are they dumping them?
In principle, the answer to this question has already been laid down in the previous paragraph: the shedding of their antlers by deer can be equated with the usual molting that occurs in many animals. Deer antlers are a living organism: their cells grow, divide and die off. This is the law of nature. Deer shed their antlers no more than once a year. This usually occurs in the winter season after the mating season: their mating season begins in December and lasts until February.
To speed up their fall, the deer rub their horns against everything: on tree trunks, on tree stumps, on the ground, on large stones. Older deer try to get rid of old antlers earlier than young ones. This is because every year it becomes more and more difficult for old deer to carry such a branchy load.
Zoologists have noticed the fact that deer try to shed their antlers in the same place. What this is connected with is not yet clear, one can only assume that this is easier for these animals: they think that the horns are shed painlessly, mainly in the same place. The process of losing horns is also curious: first, small pieces are broken off from them, and then more and more. After a while, the horns fall off completely.
Sometimes this process takes place with some flaws: a massive part of one of the antlers may remain on the deer's head, which leads to certain discomfort - the deer's head begins to roll downward. This significantly limits her freedom of movement. Usually, in this case, the deer try to quickly get rid of the unnecessary remnant of one of the antlers by grinding it on stones.
Why do deer need antlers?
Deer use their branched antlers on a variety of occasions. First, horns are great weapons used to defend against enemies. It is believed that deer never defend themselves with their antlers. This is not true. Few of the predators will risk attacking an adult deer crowned with luxurious and branched antlers.
Secondly, deer antlers are a wonderful device that allows an animal to look for this or that food in the frozen ground. For example, in order to get under the snow the favorite food of most deer - lichen, they have to dig snow for hours with the help of their antlers.
Finally, deer need antlers for duels arranged by these animals during the mating season. It is curious that in the struggle for the female between the males, real bloody battles take place! The deer attack each other with particular cruelty. It is painful to look at the losing animal: it bleeds from head to toe, and the winner gets the right to mate with a young female.
