The Antler Cycle of the Fallow Deer

They grow the same way every year, the old ones having been “cast” in late Spring

Antlers are grown by the males of all species of deer, although reindeer cows also grow them. They are used mainly as weapons, particularly during the rutting season when stags fight for control of a harem of does. Antlers are not the same as horns in that they are bony growths that drop off and are renewed every year, unlike the horns of other mammals that are permanent features. The cycle of growth, shedding and re-growth varies between deer species and their location; the cycle described here is that of fallow deer (Dama dama) in Great Britain.

Fallow deer fawns are born around June, and in March of the following year male fawns develop stalks, known as pedicles, from which the antlers will later grow. Although antlers are cast and then re-grow, the pedicles are permanent features. The fawn’s first antlers start to appear at the tops of the pedicles in May.

The antlers, which are straight, slender spikes with branches appearing only rarely in the first year, grow rapidly and are complete by late July. The antlers are covered by a hairy skin called velvet which contains blood vessels that supply oxygen and food to the bone as it grows.