I almost didn’t see this Mule Deer because it was hidden so well. If it hadn’t made a noise I would have missed it. I spotted this Mule Deer while hiking an area of the Carson National Forest in north central New Mexico.
While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. Antlers are considered one of the most exaggerated cases of male secondary sexual traits in the animal kingdom, and grow faster than any other mammal bone. Growth occurs at the tip, and is initially cartilage, which is later replaced by bone tissue. Once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler’s bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler. (Wikipedia)