Female Caribou Chew Shed Antlers to Stock Mineral Pantry for Calves
A Nautilus study of shed caribou antlers and bones from Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge found that about 86% of the 1,567 shed antlers bore gnaw marks, mostly by caribou themselves, while 44% of bones showed gnaw marks by carnivores or rodents. The researchers conclude that female caribou chew antlers to access minerals such as calcium and phosphorus to support pregnancy, nursing, and the winter, effectively seeding essential nutrients at calving grounds and across their migratory landscape.
