This moose phenomenon has several names depending on where you are. In some circles in North America and Canada, it is known as devil’s antlers, but in some cases, especially when it comes to deer, the antlers form tumor-like masses called “perruque head.” It’s a strange phenomenon that appears sometimes on the Internet, but it refers to something very real and very interesting in the elk population, mainly for the largest member of the deer family that sheds its antlers every year. And have you ever heard of a moose with the so-called “devil’s antlers”? We know it isn’t, but we explain what it is.
Devil’s Antlers, the Unique Shape of Some Elk
Although it may conjure up images of some monstrous, deformed animal lurking in the wild, this is a natural process for moose. But, what is known is that the devil’s antler moose appears to be real, and is used to refer to moose that have grown abnormal and typically ugly antlers, which do not shed.
Unlike cattle, sheep, and goats, which retain their antlers, elk, the largest member of the deer family (Cervidae), shed their antlers each year.
This is because antlers are not fused to the animal’s skull in the same way that horns (made of bone and keratin) are. Instead, bull elk grow their antlers during the spring months and use them to fight and attract females (typical things for males) in the fall. After this, the bulls shed their antlers, which relieves them of up to 27.2 kilograms (60 lb) of weight and helps them conserve energy during cold winters.
Antlers grow ridiculously fast. When they begin to appear, they grow new antlers wrapped in velvety skin that helps nourish them. This process is triggered by increased daylight, which leads the animal to produce more testosterone. Then, around September, the moose experiences a new surge of this hormone, causing the moose to shed its velvet to reveal its spectacular bony hat.
However, in rare situations, this process goes wrong and the animal grows strange, disfigured antlers that do not suit their purpose or shed at the end of the mating season, and these are what are called devil’s antlers.
But What Is Happening?
The effect is produced by a lack of testosterone in the animal, caused by castration or some hormonal dysfunction. When this occurs, the moose will shed its existing antlers and then grow new, deformed ones that will not shed, as testosterone is needed to start this process. Given how complex and impactful it is, it can be given different names such as devil’s horns to “antler oma”, which combines the English word “antler” with the Greek word “oma” which means “tumor-like”.
Interestingly, this strange phenomenon is not a discovery. Aristotle even described it in his History of Animals, written in the 4th century BC. However, there is not much information or images of the situation.
This story was written in Spanish by Perla Vallejo in Ecoosfera