Check out this crazy antler configuration. This shed antler, found in Wisconsin, features a hardened bulb at the end of the main beam. The bulb, which about the size of a small apple, also features several holes that go into a small cavity inside the hardened bulb.
What would cause such a thing?
Well, the most common causes for holes in antlers are through the work of parasites. In fact, most holes you see in antlers are from the work of the botfly larvae, which starts as an internal parasite.
The botfly does not burrow into the velvet antler to lay its eggs. Instead, the parasite infects the host’s intestinal tract, where it incubates.
The parasite eventually makes its way through the bloodstream and, in the case of a white-tailed buck, eventually resides in the fast-growing velvet antler. The larvae feed off of the nutrient rich bloodstream and burrows its way out of the antler before it hardens and peels, leaving behind a smooth cavity. Yes, it’s all kind of nasty and gross, but it doesn’t harm the deer — another testament to the amazing properties of whitetail antlers.
