What material composition describes the annual antlers grown by male white-tailed deer?
Answer
Solid bone structure that is shed and regrown annually.
Antlers, which are exclusive ornaments of the male deer, are fundamentally composed of solid bone tissue. This is a key distinction from horns found on other ungulates, which are permanent structures consisting of a bony core covered by a sheath of keratin. Because antlers are bone, they undergo a complete annual cycle: they are shed off, typically after the breeding season, and then regrown starting in the spring. This regrowth process is rapid and requires significant metabolic investment, which is supported by a specialized covering during development.
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