Shed Antlers as Maternal Mineral Banks

Female caribou carry and then rapidly shed antlers after calving; researchers found ~86% of those antlers were gnawed—primarily by other caribou—suggesting antlers function as an accessible, post‑partum mineral supplement for lactating females. This reinterprets female antlers from mere sexual trait curiosities into an active resource‑sharing mechanism during a high‑demand reproductive window. — Highlights how visible animal morphology can encode overlooked ecological functions (nutrient provisioning, social resource sharing) with consequences for wildlife management and protected‑area planning around sensitive calving grounds.