Horns and Antlers: Heavy Headgear

Did you know a moose sheds its antlers every winter? When they grow back in the spring, a moose’s antlers can reach up to six feet across and weigh about 60 pounds. Talk about a heavy load to carry!

Moose aren’t the only animals equipped with heavy headgear. When God created the land animal kinds on day six of creation about 6,000 years ago, he gave them the traits they would need to thrive in their habitats—for some, this included horns or antlers.

Sable Antelope

Sable antelope are part of the Bovidae kind, which also includes goats, sheep, cows, and bison. They are primarily found in southeastern Africa. An adult male grows horns—a permanent bone covered in keratin (the material our fingernails are made of). An adult male’s long horns often grow three to five feet long—longer than a baseball bat!1

Because we live in a fallen world, where some animals hunt each other for food, sable antelopes use their horns to protect themselves against their predators, which include lions and hyenas. They also lock horns with other male antelope and wrestle to settle which male is dominant.

Cape Buffalo

You can see a cape buffalo in the savanna and grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. Their horns curl out at the sides of their head and reach lengths of about three feet.2 These massive mammals use their horns to defend against predators and establish dominance.

Bighorn Sheep

If you live near the mountains of western North America, you might see bighorn sheep climbing across a rocky cliff. A male bighorn sheep (called a ram) has thick horns that often curl all the way behind its head. Rams battle each other for mates, crashing into each other horn-first at speeds of over 20 miles per hour.3 You wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of this head-on collision!

Elk

The best place to spot an elk in the wild is in the mountain ranges of western North America. Instead of horns, male elk have antlers (antlers typically have branches, are made of bone, and are shed and regrown each year). Like moose, elk shed their antlers each winter after mating season. Their antlers grow back each spring, growing at a rate of about one inch per day. When the antlers are fully grown, they can reach four to five feet across.4 Male elk use their antlers to rub their scent on trees and vegetation. They also lock antlers and battle with other males.

Footnotes

1. “Sable Antelope,” EOL, accessed August 25, 2025, https://eol.org/pages/331077/articles?.
2. Alexis, “Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer),” Dimensions, updated November 9, 2022, https://www.dimensions.com/element/cape-buffalo-syncerus-caffer.
3. “Bighorn Sheep,” Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, accessed August 25, 2025, https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/ovis-canadensis.
4. Bill O’Brian, “Antlers!,” US Fish & Wildlife Service,” accessed August 25, 2025, https://www.fws.gov/story/antlers.