What causes antlers to grow on female deer?
Researchers from around the country have conducted postmortem examination of many antlered female deer carcasses. Results indicate that female deer with antlers in velvet were either reproductively functional females with corpora lutea (functional ovaries with evidence of a previous birth), reproductively functional females without corpora lutea, females with complete but malformed reproductive tracts, or true hermaphrodites. True hermaphrodites have both ovaries and testes present, however, one of the sex organs is generally more developed than the other. Generally, hermaphrodites with ovaries more developed then testes will have antlers in velvet. Conversely, if the testes are more developed the antlers will be polished. Postmortem research on females with polished antlers have contrasting results. The majority of these animals are either cryptorchid males, males with malformed reproductive tracts, hermaphrodites with male organs more developed than female organs or pseudohermaphrodi