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ANTLERS ON FEMALE CARIBOU: BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE BONES OF CONTENTION

James A. Schaefer

Biology Department, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8

E‐mail: jschaefer@trentu.caSearch for more papers by this author
Shane P. Mahoney

Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 8700, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1B 4J6

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First published: 01 December 2001
Cited by: 7

Abstract

Functional explanations for horns and antlers on female ungulates are conflicting. We tested the hypothesis that such appendages serve in intraspecific competition for resources by analyzing the tendency for female caribou to carry antlers across a 1000 km wide gradient. We predicted that females in populations experiencing more intense or more protracted interference competition, reflected as greater depth and duration of snow cover, would exhibit greater propensity to bear antlers. Among 15 herds in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the percentage of antlered females was correlated positively with average annual snowfall and mean snow depth at the end of March, and negatively with population density. Our results support the hypothesis that antlers on females provide functional advantages in interference competition for winter food, but that antler possession may decline in instances of higher animal densities and diminished nutritional state.

Number of times cited: 7

  • , Scaling of antler size in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus): sexual dimorphism and variability in resource allocation, Journal of Mammalogy, 94, 6, (1371), (2013).
  • , Induced orphaning reveals post-weaning maternal care in reindeer, European Journal of Wildlife Research, 58, 3, (589), (2012).
  • , Utilization of real-time PCR to detect Rangifer Cornu contamination in Cervi Parvum Cornu, Archives of Pharmacal Research, 34, 2, (237), (2011).
  • , Los apéndices tipo asta del ciervo primitivo Dicrocerus elegans: morfología, ciclo de crecimiento, ontogenia y dimorfismo sexual, Estudios Geológicos, 67, 2, (579), (2011).
  • , Antler stiffness in caribou (Rangifer tarandus): Testing variation in bone material properties between males and females, Zoology, 10.1016/j.zool.2007.12.001, 111, 6, (476-482), (2008).
  • , Mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies of Cervidae (Mammalia, Ruminantia): Systematics, morphology, and biogeography, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 40, 1, (101), (2006).
  • , Social rank in female reindeer (Rangifer tarandus): effects of body mass, antler size and age, Journal of Zoology, 263, 4, (365-372), (2006).