OH DEER! TIME TO SHED!

The family Cervidae has a nice rack of antlers.  All but two of the 37 species within the family have antlers which are generally confined to males.  Reindeer (aka caribou) are an exception, with males and females having antlers.  Antlers made of bone which are grown and shed on an annual cycle.  In white-tail deer the cycle of antler growth and shedding is controlled by hormones made in the testes and pituitary gland.  As daylength gets longer in the spring, the white-tail’s pituitary gland begins to produce antler growth.  The growing antlers are covered by a velvety material (called “velvet”) that carries blood vessels and nerves that support antler growth.  In the fall, the testes (only male white-tail deer have antlers) produce a hormone that inhibits the antler growth hormone.  The velvet dries up and males rub their antlers on trees and such to remove the velvet (hence the presence of “rubs” on trees).  During the rut (mating season) the antlers are maintained.  The males will use these antlers as fighting tools against other males to win females.  As winter progresses and the daylength becomes shorter, fewer hormones are released from the testes to maintain the antlers.  The point where the antler attaches to the skull (pedicle) weakens and the antler is shed.  The process starts again in the spring as days lengthen.  Guess what!  This week marks the first day sheds may be available.  Like Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast” I use antlers in all of my decorating….