during winter. i know that they are most likely pregnant, but why do they need them in winter other than to take advantage of the deplenished food resources?
2006-12-25 11:45:04 · 2 answers · asked by Jadelyn K 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
My guess is that in their natural environment, they need a way to protect themselves and their offspring from predators.
2006-12-25 15:52:28 · answer #1 · answered by rhymeswithsixteen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no purpose other than food. Females do not fight each other, and their antlers offer almost no protection from wolves, and only a little protection from bears, both of which are the major predators. Wolves attack their prey from the rear, and the anlters do not hit with enough force to hurt a bear unless the reindeer were to hit the bear head on at a high speed.
For the most part, antlers in the family Cervidae are for sexual display in males. It makes sense that the only exception is where antlers are needed for food.
Notice that the antlers of reindeer are shovel-shaped near the tips. Their antlers are very efficient for scraping and shoveling snow to uncover the plants that the reindeer eat during winter - but that's about all they are good for - they are too blunt to be useful for defense.
2006-12-25 17:15:24 · answer #2 · answered by formerly_bob 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋