The horns of giraffe are different from those of other local ungulates in there formation and construction. They are clothed not in keratin but rather in fur covered skin that, if present at the tip,is heavily calloused.This covering persists through the animals entire life and has led some observers to deduce that giraffe are in some way related to deer whose bony antlers also have a covering called valvet. At birth, the horns ate present unlike other horned mammals but are made of cartilage and are not attached to the skull - termed as floating horns. A unique ossification process then starts which replaces the cartilage with bone and fuses the horn to the skull. These horns are therefore called ossicones
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 09:03:33 +0000
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