YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — ‘Tis the season for velvet.
Yellowstone National Park (YNP) shared a photo on its Flickr account last week of a bull elk sporting velvet-covered antlers. Short, dense “velvet” fur covers new antlers while they are growing, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The velvet skin allows oxygen-rich blood to reach the immature antlers.
Moose, deer, elk and other cervids typically shed their antlers in the late winter, and begin growing new ones soon after. Antlers start as cartilage and are calcified into bone as they mature. FWS says that antlers are the fastest growing bone in the world; elk antlers can grow about one inch per day. Increasing daylight and subsequent testosterone production trigger antler growth in the spring.
“Once antlers reach their final size, the velvet dries and becomes itchy,” FWS says. “You’ll see deer, elk and moose rubbing their newly formed antlers on trees and other vegetation to remove the velvet.”
While genetics and age do play a role in antler production, the main contributor to a nice rack is good nutrition, per FWS. A healthy and protein-filled diet can lead to more growth and sustained bone density in the rest of the animal’s body. For bulls in a poor habitat, calcium from the animal’s bones will be redirected to the hardening antlers.
Though antlers are costly to grow, they are necessary for males during the rut season in late summer and fall. Bulls use their antlers to leave scent marks on vegetation, as well as to spar with other males to assert dominance.
