antler

Male reindeer Rangifer tarandus with a full set of antlers. The animals use their antlers to uncover edible vegetation buried by snow. Their large hooves are adapted to spread for balance when they walk on snow or soft ground.

‘Horn’ of a deer, often branched, and made of bone rather than horn. Antlers, unlike true horns, are shed and regrown each year. Reindeer of both sexes grow them, but in all other types of deer, only the males have antlers.

During growth the antler is covered by a sensitive, hairy skin, known as ‘velvet’, which dries up and is rubbed off when maturity is attained. The number and complexity of the branches increase year by year.