Horns and Antlers

       Horns and antlers are similar in appearance, but they differ in structure. A horn is a hollow outgrowth of the skin and is partially filled by a bony core. Antlers are solid, bone-like growths attached to the skull. They are found only on members of the deer family.

horns and antlers

       Horns, which are a characteristic of sheep, cattle, and antelopes, vary widely in shape and size. Unlike antlers, they are not shed every year but are permanent. Usually they are two in number, although there may be only a single one. They may be straight or curved, and the surface may be ringed or smooth or ridged. Generally they are not branched, although the American prong- buck possesses branched horns. The horns of the prongbuck, unlike those of sheep and cattle, are shed annually. The horny sheath gradually loosens and becomes freed from the skin around the base. When the horn falls off it leaves the bony core covered with blackish skin. A new sheath begins to develop on the tip of the core and grows toward the base and at the tip until a new horn is fully developed.

       A still different kind of horn-like structure is that on the snout of the rhinoceros, whose horn is made of densely matted hairs.

       Antlers are different from horns in that they are solid and deciduous; that is, they are shed every year, usually late in the winter. New ones begin growing a month or two later. When new antlers are to be formed, the bumps where the old antlers grew receive an increased supply of blood and this blood deposits the bony material which gradually builds up into a new set of antlers. During their growth the antlers are covered with soft, hairy skin which is called the velvet. When the growth of the antlers has been completed the velvet dries and is rubbed off against trees and bushes.

       Antlers are of various shapes and sizes. In some deer they are merely short, simple spikes, but the antlers of the wapiti or moose may be enormous and either branched or hand-shaped. A new branch is usually added each year, until the animal is mature, but when a buck has passed his prime the antlers gradually become smaller.

       Primitive men found a great many uses for horns and antlers taken from dead animals. Neanderthal men flaked flint with antlers and used the prong-points as daggers. Later Stone-Age men used antlers to make picks for mining flint. Here in North America antlers were used for flaking flint by pressure, to make smooth and delicately worked arrowheads.

       From very early times, horns have been used for signaling and as musical instruments. Some primitive people believed that there was magical power in the sounds of certain horns.

       For many years the Chinese have used the ground-up horn of the rhinoceros and the velvet from antlers as medicine. A rhinoceros horn was believed to make poison harmless. The Chinese also carved rhinoceros horn into beautiful cups.

       All sorts of horns were cleaned and polished and used by peoples other than the Chinese for drinking-cups and containers. Horns were often carved into ladles and spoons. The Haida Indians on the northwest coast of North America used the horns of mountain sheep and goats for such purposes. Certain African tribes used the long, straight horns of the beisa antelope as spear points. Such horns were also carved as handles and fitted onto swords.

       Before men had discovered the process of making glass, thin slabs of horn were sometimes used in windows. Horn instead of glass is still used in parts of Asia where people fit thin sheets of it into lanterns. Horns were symbols of strength and power to the early Germans and Norsemen, who fashioned their helmets with horns on either side. Furniture and houses, too, were decorated with horns and antlers.

       Today, horn is used throughout the world in the manufacture of many useful and ornamental articles, such as handles of walking sticks, umbrellas, and carving knives. Horn is easily carved; yet it is tough and durable and will bend easily. When it is heated in water it becomes soft. Then it can be molded and pressed into desired shapes. It may be split into thin sheets, or pieces may be welded together if both heat and pressure are applied. The horn article may then be polished or dyed.

More Links to Video About Antlers and Horns:

• Nature Notes Antlers and Horns
• Preserving Horns and Antlers with Beatles
• Rhino horn must become a socially unacceptable product in Asia