Bull moose use their antlers during mating season to show their dominance when trying to compete with other males for potential mates. The palmated antlers also help protect their eyes during conflicts with other males, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Moose shed their antlers after mating season, usually in early winter, to help them conserve energy when it’s cold.
Their antlers start growing again in the spring inside a skin called velvet. The velvet sheds as mating season approaches, baring the antlers.
Antlers are fast-growing and can gain as much as 8 inches in less than 10 days, according to MDIF&W.
In this video by BDN contributor Christi Elliott, one of the moose is seen close up in Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter State Park, with its antlers in full velvet.
Cow moose sometimes grow antlers but it is rare. Yearlings and young bulls may have spiked or small forked horns. A 5-year-old bull will have fully developed antlers. A spread of 55 inches is considered large, the department said.
