Study finds female caribou gnaw shed antlers for postpartum nutrients
Feb 24th 2026
Researchers recorded bite marks on more than 80 percent of 1,500 antlers at an Alaskan calving ground, suggesting female caribou eat their freshly shed antlers to replenish minerals after long migrations and birth.
- Female caribou are the only deer species whose females grow antlers.
- Females shed antlers just days before giving birth and then gnaw them shortly after they fall.
- Researchers found bite marks on over 80 percent of 1,500 antlers in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
- Gnawing likely supplies protein, calcium and phosphorus needed during the nutritionally demanding period of nursing after long migrations.
- Other explanations for female antlers include reducing male aggression and predator defense, so mineral use may be one of several functions.
- Antlers can persist on the landscape for decades and help scientists track herd and ecosystem changes.