Locked in Mortal Combat
These White-tailed Deer antlers (Odocoileus virginianus) tell a sad tale. The racks became entangled when two young bucks butted heads in a contest to establish dominance. They remained locked together and the deer likely starved to death as a result. Try counting the points on each rack … one of the deer was probably a bit older than the other, but neither was fully mature, as shown by the lack of fusion in the skull segments.
Object type:
Mammal
Object #:
972.329.008
Collection name:
Curator:
Date (age/made):
1972
Origin/place:
Nova Scotia
Materials:
Bone, Antler
Dimensions:
38 cm L x 49 cm W x 44 cm H