antler

Everyday

1. An antler is one of the two branched, bony horns that grow on the head of a deer, elk, moose or reindeer. tree →
2. Antlers fall off and grow again every year, unlike horns, which stay for life. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons antlers come up in adaptations and life cycles: male deer use antlers to fight other males in the mating season, and the new antlers are covered in soft furry skin called velvet while they grow. Reindeer are the only deer where both males and females have antlers. In stories and Christmas pictures, reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh have big antlers.

Examples

• The stag's antlers had many points. tree →
• Deer shed their antlers every year. tree →
• The moose had wide, flat antlers. tree →
• Both male and female reindeer grow antlers. tree →
• Two stags locked antlers in a fight. tree →
• The new antlers were covered in soft velvet. tree →
• We found an old antler in the woods. tree →
• The carved stags pushed out their heads, raised their antlers, and twisted their necks. tree →

Note

Usually plural «antlers», because an animal has two. Antlers are bone and fall off each year; horns (on cows, goats, rhinos) are not shed. Do not say a cow has antlers.