CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



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have raised the point that it would be much more economical for the 

 animals involved if the antlers were permanent like horns and not 

 renewed each year. It has been argued that the primary purpose of 

 antlers is to afford protection not only to the animal wearing them but 

 also to other members, such as the female and young of the species. 

 Caton and others have pointed out that caribou and reindeer are the 

 only two members of the deer family in North America in which 

 females normally bear antlers. It is also obvious that if the antlers 

 were to serve in securing the maximum protection for the species, they 

 should be borne by the female of the species rather than by the male, 

 since in such polygamous species as deer the male takes little or, in 

 most cases, no responsibility in caring for the dependent young of the 

 species, and the entire burden of caring for the young therefore falls 



Fig. 53. Evenly forked, wide spreading, massive antlers are typical in all races 

 of mule deer. Yosemite, November 2, 1929. W^ild Life Division No. 104. 



upon the shoulders of the mother, and she is the one that should be most 

 entitled to bear the weapons of defense. However, with the two excep- 

 tions above noted, we find that this is not the case, and we must there- 

 fore conclude that the primary aim of antlers is to serve some other 

 purpose than the protection of the weaker members of the species. 



It has been suggested that antlers serve importantly as a means of 

 carrying out physical competition between contesting males, much in 

 the same manner as boxing gloves serve as a means of carrying on com- 

 petition between rival pugilists. 



It has been suggested that the most efficient form of antler would 

 be a single long, slender, unbranched spike that would enable its pos- 

 sessor to give effective sword-like thrusts. It has been pointed out that 



