Whitetail velvet is one of the most remarkable things in the animal kingdom.
QUESTION: I know deer grow velvet on their antlers, but what purpose does it serve?
ANSWER: Antlers are a remarkable adaptation and among the fastest growing tissues in the animal kingdom. The velvet serves as a circulatory system to carry blood and nutrients to the growing antlers.
During the growth stage, they’re high in water and low in dry matter, the latter consisting of roughly 80% protein and 20% mineral (mostly calcium and phosphorous). This core is covered with a thin layer of hairy skin that acts as a circulatory system, supplying the growing antler with water, blood, minerals and oxygen.
In the later stages, growth slows and antlers mineralize and harden, consisting of 60% mineral and 40% protein. Once this process is complete, blood flow to the antlers ceases and the velvet dries and sloughs or is rubbed off.
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