Includes papers on the role of physiology, endocrinology, histology, genetics, photoperiod and nutrition in antler growth and development and on the velvet antler industry.

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.

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.

This 20th Anniversary Edition of David Petersen's 1991 natural-history cult classic features new cover art by landscape master Thomas Aquinas Daly; original interior art by America's leading woodcut artist, Michael McCurdy; a foreword by world-renowned deer and antler expert Valerius Geist; and updates and revisions throughout. Well-researched chapters cover the antlers, evolution, natural histories, and social lives of each of North America's five deer species (white-tailed and mule deer, elk, moose, and caribou), as well as the extinct 'Irish elk,' which carried antlers as wide as an SUV is long. Throughout, Petersen's science is woven seamlessly into the author's personal-narrative natural history, taking readers beyond mere facts and figures and into the field for personal encounters with antlers and the animals that wear them. Also included are a bibliography, deer taxonomy chart, and a fascinating interview with antler expert Valerius Geist. "Whether you're a hunter, biologist, wildlife photographer or just a casual observer of nature, Racks is must reading if you're interested in the phenomena of antler growth and development." -- Gary Wolfe (former CEO Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation) "When field observations are as well described as David Petersen's are in Racks, they open up new insights even to scientists." -- Dr. Valerius Geist (from his foreword to Racks).