Antelope horns are hard and hollow, growing from their skull, at the front of their head. They are made of keratin, which is the same material as human fingernails.

Antelope horns are not shed – they are permanent.

Different antelope species have horns of different sizes and shapes. The 91 species of antelopes (mostly from Africa) include the blackbuck, dik-dik, duiker, eland, gazelle, gerenuk, hartebeest, impala, kudu, oryx, reedbuck, steenbok, and wildebeest.

The following is an example of the different types of antelope horns:

Simple spikes – such as the horns of the dik-dik.

 

Twisted horns – such as the horns of the eland.

 

Spiral horns – such as the horns of the greater kudu.

 

Recurved horns – such as the horns of the reedbuck.

 

Curved horns – such as the horns of the oryx.

 

Lyrate horns – such as the horns of the impala.

 

Narrow Bracket horns – such as the horns of the hartebeest.

 

Wide Bracket horns – such as the horns of the wildebeest.

 

Corkscrew horns – such as the horns of the blackbuck.

 

 

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM