The reason behind the animals’ necessity for such bulky equipment is questioned by a viral video of a moose shaking loose its antlers.
How come the moose’s antlers fell off?
People around the world are asking this question after a doorbell camera in Alaska captured the exact moment a moose sauntered into view, shook off its rack, and then, seemingly alarmed by the abrupt event, fled off into the night. This is not the setup to a joke.
The largest deer species in the world is the moose, which may grow to a height of over six feet at the shoulder, weigh up to 1,800 pounds, and weigh up to 80 pounds with its antlers.
A doorbell camera in Houston – Alaska captures the rare sight of a Moose shedding both his antlers last week. pic.twitter.com/HHJCEB2vyl
— Michael Warburton (@MichaelWarbur17) December 26, 2022
Blackfeet Nation member and University of Montana wildlife biologist Landon Magee says, “As far as being in the vicinity of moose, it’s usually a little iffy. “In particular, moose cows that are nursing calves. They are capable of extreme aggression.”
Antler shedding, or casting, is a typical annual procedure for male moose, deer, elk, and other members of the Cervidae family, also known as cervids, even though it is not frequently observed by humans. Caribou, or reindeer, are the lone exception, in which females also develop and shed antlers.
According to Lee Kantar, moose biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife, “a bull grows his first set beginning with his first birthday, in general, and they grow in size and shape each year until around 11, when growth is negligible.
Explore the biological miracle that are antlers and discover why animals bother to produce them at all.
Antlers versus horns
Although the terms “horns” and “antlers” are frequently used interchangeably, these headgear actually differ significantly.
Rams, goats, cows, and many other mammals have horns, which are an integral component of the skull and are never shed. Horns are dead and made of the same protein that makes up our hair and nails, keratin. They just enlarge a little bit each year when new tissue is introduced to the base. Many horned animals, including yaks, oryx, and duikers, include females who also have cranial armor.
Antlers pulse with life and are even warm to the touch as they are growing, in contrast to lifeless horns.
Kantar, who sent a response through email from Maine when he was out collecting moose calves during a snowstorm, said that they are highly vascularized tissue that rapidly grows from early spring to close to the end of summer. (See images of animals wearing lethal helmets.)
Antlers are coated in velvety skin for the most of the year. And behind that velvet, there are blood-filled veins that supply the developing bone below with nutrients like calcium and phosphorus. The velvet must eventually expire and be scraped off by the animal, exposing the battle-worthy bone, in order to become antlers. (Learn about how animal horns, antlers, and other head armor developed.)
The process of antler growth, or antlerogenesis, really holds the Guinness World Record for being the animal tissue with the highest rate of growth. Antler growth in moose can reach over an inch per day during the height of the summer antlerogenesis.
Why do deer have antlers?
Antlers are primarily used for reproduction, despite the fact that many people mistake them for weapons.
A male moose with a large rack may dissuade a moose with lower antlers from competing for a female. Moreover, Kantar claims that a female may choose to mate with a guy who has large antlers because she thinks he is physically fitter.
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