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Animals with Strong Horns

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Last updated date: 28th Mar 2024
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Learning about Animals with Strong Horns

Throughout the world, there is a vast majority of flora and fauna which has covered the entire earth. Several fascinating and magnificent species of different animals are present that tend to catch the eyes of people.


Animals might have different features and unique advancements in their bodies which make them appear different from each other. Some of the animals might have wings to them, while some might have features like long beaks. Similarly, some animals are adapted to have horns. Some might be short while some might be long-horned animals. Can you name an animal with strong horns? Let us understand more about them and learn about horned animals. 


How Does the Horn of Animals Work?

The horns of animals are generally structured on their head and are considered an integral part of their body. Several animals have horns on their head, such as cows, sheep, goats, etc.  Horns are a type of live bone structure that consists of a covering of keratin and several proteins. They form permanent projections on the head of several animals and exist in pairs rather than being single projections.


An Animal with a Strong Horn


An Animal with a Strong Horn


Animals tend to grow horns as they get old, unlike other features of the body like hooves and hair, which are present since the birth of animals, horns tend to grow on the body as the animals get old. Animals that have horns vary in shape and size and eventually also have different types of horns depending upon their bodies. Horns on some animals can be big and bulky while for some animals, they might be light and fragile.


What Are False Horns?

There are many animals on whose heads we might have seen horns growing on. But these animals are not considered horned animals, why? Horns are considered to work as a permanent structure on an animal's head. But some animals are capable of growing horn-like structures on their heads which fall off and grow back every month. These horn-like structures on the head of animals are known as antlers.


Animals with Horns and Antlers


Animals with Horns and Antlers


Antlers appear to be just like horns but are velvety covering-like structures that appear to be just the same as the horns. But horns never fall off and hence antlers and horns are different from each other. 


Why Are Horns Used in Animals?

Every animal has an adaptation done through the environment which makes them protect themselves through different situations. Horns can also be considered as an adaptation that has occurred over time for animals and helped them to survive in the wild. 

Here are some benefits that animals have through the horns present in their body. 

  • Since animals have to survive in the wild, horns safeguard them from different threats that might occur around them.

  • Horns help in fighting for animals when their life is in threat by any other animal which might be dangerous to them.

  • Apart from such use, some of the male species of animals contain long horns to impress the female species of those animals.


The bigger the horn is, the longer that animal has survived in the wild, which proves them to be stronger and better than other animals in their herds. Hence, long-horned animals are considered to be better in their groups and have significance. 


Summary

Horns are an important part of the body for several animals and have a huge significance in their lives. One should understand the working of horns in animals if one wants to learn about them and understand their work in detail. There are many animals with strong horns, An example of an animal with a strong horn is the addax. It has one of the strongest horns. The horns of animals have some benefits for them. In some animals, horns are an important part of survival, horns safeguard them from predators and male animals have horns to attract and impress the female animals.

FAQs on Animals with Strong Horns

1. Which animal has the strongest horns?

There are many animal species for both males and females that can grow horns. These horns naturally develop in the body of the animals slowly as they start to age and mature throughout the years. The better and longer the horns are, the better the tendency that a particular animal is old. Several animals have strong horns. But these animals took a long time to develop through the stages of life to be so strong and bulky. Some of such animals are Addax, Elk, Moose, etc. 

2. Why do male animals have bigger horns than female animals?

Many male animals tend to grow horns but there are only some female animals that are capable of growing horns. There are significant differences in the build-up of both genders which can differentiate the build-up of horns in both the male and female animals. But according to the evolution of animals through time, the difference in the horns can occur due to several factors such as health, strength, age, and their ability to fight. Hence, the males tend to grow bigger horns than the female animals of the same species. 

3. What are the differences between antlers and horns?

Antlers are made of bone and skin, while horns are made of keratin. Both horns and antlers are structures that grow on the heads of animals. They can be found in many species. Antlers grow from the skull, while horns grow from the animal's head or nose. Antlers only cling to flesh at their base, while horns can be attached to a skull's existing surface or they can grow out of the flesh itself.