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Deer Antler Shedding

During winter in Iowa male whitetail deer shed their antlers. Male deer use their antlers as a tool to fight each other during mating season. After mating season, the testosterone levels in the male deer drop. This causes osteoclasts cells to form, which separates the antler from the deer skull causing it to fall off. 

Location
Wright County, Iowa

Possible Guiding, Compelling and/or Anchoring Questions

  • Do you think all deer have antlers?
  • How might the shedding of deer antlers help support their own survival, growth, behavior and/or reproduction? Explain.
  • What do you think deer use their antlers for?
  • Why might deer shed their antlers in the winter?

Classroom Suggestions

  • Students could:
    • Use this as part of the engagement phase before beginning a unit about different organisms' structures and the functions of them. Students can begin to understand how these structures help the animal out in nature. They could be given the pictures of the antler sheddings and then asked to make predictions about why deer shed their antlers and what happens to them. Then they could use the resources listed below to understand and watch videos of the process. 
    • Create a claim about how deer lose their antlers and the importance of it. Identify and state evidence to support your claim.
    • Develop a claim on why some deer have larger antlers than others and what they use their antlers for. Identify and state evidence to support your claims. They can observe and reflect on different examples of deer using their antlers to fight each other for the female they want to mate. They can explain how this contributes to the antlers’ function of growth, survival, and/or reproduction. 
       

Related Resources

Iowa Core Alignment

4-LS1-1:

Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction

Credit Info

Submitted by Rachel Johnson, Laine Morgan, Alex Grawe, Kaylee Zmolek, and Maddy Milks

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