Abstract
ANTLERS are classically regarded as the weapons and insignia of male deer (Cervidae, Mammalia). Their use in sexual display and fighting, defence against predators, digging and parting undergrowth has been described, but Darling1 and other critical observers have questioned their significance in these roles; neither shape and dimensions of antlers, nor the physiological expense of annual shedding and replacement, seem justified by the functions usually ascribed to them. Recent work on antlers of red deer (Cervus elaphus), and reinterpretation of earlier anatomical studies, now suggest that antlers are important variable heat radiators during their growth, which occurs annually in the months of spring and summer fattening preceding the rut. Thermoregulation may thus be the function which primarily determines the form and proportions of antlers, and necessitates their annual renewal.
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STONEHOUSE, B. Thermoregulatory Function of Growing Antlers. Nature 218, 870–872 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/218870a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/218870a0
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