Males may lunge headfirst at each other, knocking antlers or horns together with a loud noise. This fighting style prevents serious head injury, while still showing which animal is stronger than the other. In mammals with horns, males and females can use them in defense against predators and in social behaviors. While uses of antlers and horns may be similar, the structure of each is quite different. Antlers are made completely from bone and are usually shed each year.
Horns have a bony core that is a permanent part of the skull with a keratin covering.
Generally, horns are not shed. Antlers Antlers are bony outgrowths of the skull and have more than one branch, or tine. Antlers are shed every year. They bud or begin growing in April or May because of extra hormones brought. Mammals can have adaptations such as specialized body parts or unique behaviors that help them to survive in their environment.