page_title: Horn (anatomy)
section_title: Animal uses of horns
hierarchical_section_title: Horn (anatomy) / Animal uses of horns
caption_attribution_description: English: Goat skull. Capra aegagrus hircus Specimen of goat skull prepared by the bone maceration technique and on display at the Museum of Veterinary Anatomy FMVZ USP. This file was published as the result of a partnership between the Museum of Veterinary Anatomy FMVZ USP, the RIDC NeuroMat and the Wikimedia Community User Group Brasil. This GLAM project is reported. Photography: Museum of Veterinary Anatomy FMVZ USP. Author: Wagner Souza e Silva.
context_page_description: A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent.
  In mammals, true horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae. Cattle horns arise from subcutaneous connective tissue and later is fused to the underlying frontal bone.
  One pair of horns is usual; however, two or more pairs occur in a few wild species and in some domesticated breeds of sheep. Polycerate sheep breeds include the Hebridean, Icelandic, Jacob, Manx Loaghtan, and the Navajo-Churro.
  Horns usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting. In many species, only males have horns. Horns start to grow soon after birth and continue to grow throughout the life of the animal. Partial or deformed horns in livestock are called scurs. Similar growths on other parts of the body are not usually called horns, but spurs, claws, or hooves, depending on the part of the body on which they occur.
context_section_description: Animals have a variety of uses for horns and antlers, including defending themselves from predators and fighting members of their own species (horn fighting) for territory, dominance or mating priority. Horns are usually present only in males but in some species, females too may possess horns. It has been theorized by researchers that taller species living in the open are more visible from longer distances and more likely to benefit from horns to defend themselves against predators. Female bovids that are not hidden from predators due to their large size or open savannahlike habitat are more likely to bear horns than small or camouflaged species.
  In addition, horns may be used to root in the soil or strip bark from trees. In animal courtship many use horns in displays. For example, the male blue wildebeest reams the bark and branches of trees to impress the female and lure her into his territory. Some animals with true horns use them for cooling. The blood vessels in the bony core allow the horns to function as a radiator.
  After the death of a horned animal, the keratin may be consumed by the larvae of the horn moth.
caption: Goat skull piece
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