Horns And Antlers

Since the first drawings left on walls of ancient caves, human beings have been fascinated with that unique phenomenon of the animal kingdom, the presence of horns and antlers. From the mythical ''unicorn'' exercising the power over life and death to the perceived aphrodisiacal and other medical properties of rhinoceros horns and growing antlers, these conspicuous protuberances have had a significant place in the history of mankind. Part of that ancient interest in antlers and horns was due to their value as sym bols of masculinity; this interest persists today in trophy hunting, an honorable tradition carried on for centuries in many countries of the world. This book, which deals with evolution, morphology, physiology, and behavior, has not been devised as a comprehensive review of the subject of horns, prong horns, and antlers; rather, it is a series of chapters stimulating thoughts, discus sions, and initiation of new studies. As editors, we did not interfere with the content of articles nor with the opin ions and interpretations of our contributors, and we left them to decide whether to accept the suggestions of our reviewers. Despite the fact that various aspects of cranial appendages have been studied since the end of the eighteenth century, many controversial views still exist, as witnessed in various chapters of this book.

Updated for 2020. Explore which animals have antlers and horns and how they use them.

Originally published: New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1942.

Explores How Animals Use Antlers And Horns.

This is a book about one of nature's most remarkable accomplishments. When deer grow antlers they are actually regenerating anatomically complex appendages - something that no other mammal can do. The rate at which antler elongate makes them the fastest growing structures in the animal kingdom. Profoundly affected by male hormones, these secondary sex characters grow into massive tumors if the deer possessing them is castrated. These and other unique characteristics have made antlers the focus of extensive scientific research that addresses some provocative questions: From what tissues do antlers develop? By what morphogenetic mechanisms are they regenerated every year? What social functions prompted their initial evolution? How are they influenced by hormones, and by the seasonal daylength fluctuations that regulate their annual replacement cycles? These and many other questions are considered in this comprehensive account of antlerology. Students of development, evolution, and behavior will find much to appreciate in this volume, as will ecologists, wildlife biologists, and zookeepers. It is a rich source of information for endocrinologists and physiologists interested in the relationship of antlers to the reproductive cycle. The orthopedists will find the study of antlers a valuable model of skeletal growth and bone disease, and the purported medicinal properties of velvet antlers will be a subject of interest to the pharmacologist. Deer Antlers: Regeneration, Function, and Evolution is as scientifically accurate as it is readable. It does not answer all questions about these unique appendages, but it is certain to arouse curiosity about the many unsolved problems of how antlers grow, die, and are shed in the course of a single year.

Join one of Dr. Seuss's most giving characters in the classic picture book Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. Poor Thidwick's generosity proves the adage that no good deed goes unpunished, and soon everyone, from a tiny Bingle Bug to a huge bear, is taking advantage of our antlered hero. With Seuss's rhyming text and endearing illustrations, this beloved story about a kindhearted moose and the bullies that make a home on his horns is an ideal way to introduce children to the invaluable concept of self-respect.

WINNER OF THE PHI BETA KAPPA AWARD IN SCIENCE The story behind the stunning, extreme weapons we see in the animal world--teeth and horns and claws--and what they can tell us about the way humans develop and use arms and other weapons In Animal Weapons, Doug Emlen takes us outside the lab and deep into the forests and jungles where he's been studying animal weapons in nature for years, to explain the processes behind the most intriguing and curious examples of extreme animal weapons—fish with mouths larger than their bodies and bugs whose heads are so packed with muscle they don't have room for eyes. As singular and strange as some of the weapons we encounter on these pages are, we learn that similar factors set their evolution in motion. Emlen uses these patterns to draw parallels to the way we humans develop and employ our own weapons, and have since battle began. He looks at everything from our armor and camouflage to the evolution of the rifle and the structures human populations have built across different regions and eras to protect their homes and communities. With stunning black and white drawings and gorgeous color illustrations of these concepts at work, Animal Weapons brings us the complete story of how weapons reach their most outsized, dramatic potential, and what the results we witness in the animal world can tell us about our own relationship with weapons of all kinds.

This book reviews current knowledge of the biology and natural history of the world's 40 species of deer.