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📘 A moose carries a seasonal calendar on its head

Picture a bull moose in late summer: two broad, branching plates rise above its ears, making the animal look armored and prehistoric. Those structures are antlers, temporary bone grown from permanent bumps called pedicles on the skull. A bu

3
lessons
~15 min
to learn
Adults
level
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What you’ll learn

  1. The antler clockExplain why moose antlers are temporary seasonal bone and how daylight and hormones start their growth.Bull moose grow a new pair each year; velvet supports rapid growth before the bone hardens.
  2. A rack for the rutConnect antler displays, breeding-season competition, testosterone, and the timing of antler casting.Antlers help bulls compete in autumn, then become costly after the rut as hormone levels change.
  3. What the shed leaves behindInterpret an antlerless winter bull and describe how shed antlers remain part of the ecosystem.Casting is a controlled annual reset: the old rack falls, other animals may use its minerals, and a new cycle begins.

Questions this course answers

Why do bull moose shed their antlers each winter?

After the rut, hormone changes weaken the pedicle attachment, allowing the temporary bone to be cast before the next annual growth cycle.

What is velvet?

Velvet nourishes and protects rapidly growing antler bone until it mineralizes and hardens.

Why might a young bull still have antlers after a mature bull has shed his?

Mature bulls commonly cast earlier, while younger bulls may retain their antlers into late winter or spring.

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