Whitetail Deer With Velvet Antlers Stock Photo

The white-tailed deer - Odocoileus virginianus, also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America. Deer antlers are covered in a living tissue called velvet during their growth stage, which provides necessary nutrition for antler growth. Velvet is full of blood vessels that supply the growing antlers with nutrients. Velvet antler is the whole cartilaginous antler in a precalcified growth stage of the Cervidae family. Antlers signify dominant bucks during the mating process to display dominance over other males. Deer antler velvet is made up of proteins, minerals, lipids, water, growth factors, amino acids, glycosaminoglycans, and trace elements.