31 Examples of Animals with Antlers (A to Z List & Pictures) – Fauna Facts (2024)

Examples of animals with antlers include deer, moose, elk, and caribou.

Antlers are a defining characteristic of deer and elk. The antlers on these animals are made from thin, bony plates that form within the skin. Antler growth is regulated by testosterone levels in male animals.

It typically begins to grow during late spring or early summer, when the males have reached sexual maturity and testosterone levels are high.

The most common types of antlers found on deer include tine-pointed, palmated, forked, and shovel-shaped. Most male deer have simple tine-pointed antlers with just one main beam branching off into three points at the end (known as “tines”).

Examples of Animals with Antlers

1. Alashan Wapiti

The Alashan Wapiti is a deer found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It has unique, twisted antlers that are almost palmated in shape. These antlers give the Alashan Wapiti an advantage when fighting for mates or territory, as they can inflict more damage with their unusual shape.

2. Alaska Moose

In addition to the common elk found in North America, Alashan wapiti is a subspecies of Wapiti that lives primarily in China. Their antlers are much different from other deer species due to their enlarged lower tines and flat palmations.

3. Barren-Ground Caribou

Male caribou grow forward-pointing, shovel-shaped antlers with two main beams. The surface of the antler is covered in short, black hairs. These antlers are used as weapons during fights for dominance and to attract females.

4. Boreal Woodland Caribou

Caribou is one of the animals with antlers. While both male and female caribou grow antlers, they are usually larger in males than females. Caribou have long tines that can be found on either side or emerging from a single main beam (palmated).

5. California Mule Deer

The California mule deer is a subspecies of the North American mule deer. It is found in the state of California and parts of Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona. Adult males have large, palmated antlers that can span up to 57 inches across.

6. Cedros Island Mule Deer

The Cedros Island mule deer is a subspecies of mule deer that is found only on the island of Cedros in Mexico. These deer have unique, palmated antlers which are made up of many small branches (hence the name “palmated”).

7. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer

Columbian Black-Tailed Deer is the smallest deer in North America. Their antlers are typically less than 20 inches long and are usually either forked or shovel-shaped.

8. Eastern Elk

The elk is the largest member of the deer family. The male eastern elk have impressive antlers that can reach up to four feet across and weigh more than 30 pounds.

9. Eastern Moose

Males

and females both have antlers, however, they are smaller than those of the male deer. Male Eastern Moose can grow up to be over six feet tall from toe-to-nose and weigh as much as 1500 pounds.

Related Article: Is Eastern Moose Native to North America?

10. European Fallow Deer

The European Fallow Deer is a species of deer found in Europe and parts of western Asia. They are easily recognized by their white spots on a brown coat, as well as their characteristic antlers.

11. Finnish Forest Reindeer

The Finnish Forest Reindeer, also known as the Tundra Reindeer or Lappland Elk, is a semi-domesticated reindeer found in northern Scandinavia. This deer has large antlers with palmated branches and an extremely thick skull.

12. Irish Elk

The largest deer species ever to have lived was the Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus). These animals were up to two meters tall at the shoulder and had antlers that could span three meters from end to end. Unfortunately, they went extinct around 7,7000 years ago.

13. Manitoban Elk

Elk, also known as wapiti ( Cervus canadensis manitobensis), is a large species of deer native to North America and East Asia. They have antlers, but these usually do not grow very big because they lack testosterone during their growing period in spring and summer.

14. Merriam’s Elk

Merriam’s elk are the smallest subspecies of elk in North America. They have short, spike-like antlers that extend just a few inches from their head. These animals are typically reddish-brown or tan in color with white patches on their bellies and throats.

15. Mountain Reindeer

Mountain reindeer is one of only a few types of deer that have curved antlers. These animals live in cold, mountainous regions of Europe and Asia and use their antlers for fighting during the winter breeding season.

16. Mule Deer

Mule deer antlers are usually long and heavy, with a strong base and five points. They grow up to fifty pounds in size on large males. Mule deer typically shed their antlers between late December and mid-February.

17. Marsh Deer

The antler on a male deer is not actually part of its skull, but rather another bony growth that sprouts from the top center portion of the animal’s head.

18. Northwestern Moose

The Northwestern Moose is the smallest subspecies of moose in North America and is found in northwestern Canada and Alaska. Adult males weigh between 400-600 pounds, while adult females weigh between 250-400 pounds.

19. Peary Caribou

The antlers on a caribou are typically shorter and more delicate than those of other deer species. They are also relatively flat, with just a few points at the end.

20. Porcupine Caribou

The porcupine caribou is a subspecies of the arctic caribou that lives in northern Canada and Alaska. The most noticeable feature of these animals is their large, flattened antlers.

Porcupine caribou males use their antlers during the rutting season to battle for dominance over other males and to defend territories.

21. Pudu

The world’s smallest deer, the pudu weighs in at around 21 pounds and has a shoulder height of just 13 inches. The pudu’s antlers are very small, rarely exceeding an inch in length.

22. Red Deer

Red Deer is the largest deer species that inhabits most of the European countries and western Asia. The red deer is the fourth-largest deer species in the world and various subspecies are known as Corsican red deer and Caspian red deer.

23. Rocky Mountain Elk

Bull elk, or male Rocky Mountain Elk, can grow impressive antlers. Their antlers are typically palmated, with a large main beam and several tines branching off of it. The bulls use their antlers during the mating season to battle for dominance over other males and to impress females.

24. Roe Deer

The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small species of deer found throughout Europe and Asia. They are the smallest members of the deer family, and males weigh around 22-77 lbs. The most distinctive feature of the roe deer is their small but highly visible antlers.

25. Roosevelt Elk

Found in the Cascade Mountains, Roosevelt elk are a subspecies of elk. They have antlers that end on four points and can grow up to four feet long.

26. Sambar Deer

The Sambar Deer is a species of deer that is found in parts of Southeast Asia and India. They are easily recognizable by their large, palmated antlers. The antlers on a male Sambar Deer can grow up to 40 inches wide and weigh as much as 20 pounds.

27. Shiras Moose

One of the largest members of the deer family, Shiras Moose have antlers that can span over six feet from end to end. These animals are typically found in the forests and mountains of western North America.

28. Sitka Deer

The Sitka deer is a subspecies of black-tailed deer that can be found in the rainforests of Southeast Alaska. They are named for the Sitka spruce trees, which make up the majority of their diet. These deer have very large, palmated antlers with many tines that can grow up to 19 inches long.

29. Svalbard Reindeer

The Svalbard Reindeer is a subspecies of the Arctic Reindeer that lives on the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. They are one of the smallest reindeer species and have distinctive antlers with two points (known as “spurs”).

30. Tule Elk

These animals have antlers that are typically shorter and less complex than those of mature male deer. They also lack a bony ridge beneath the eye socket where males grow their main beams from, called a “brow tine.”

31. White-Tailed Deer

The white-tailed deer is the most common species of deer in North America. They are found in forests, open fields, and even suburban neighborhoods. Male white-tailed deer grow antlers each year that can reach up to 14-inches in length.