Antlers are made to shed. Most often, the bone near the base of each antler is destroyed by "osteoclasts" and the antlers fall off or sheds at some point^. Because of their fast rate of growth, antlers are considered a "liability" since there is a very large nutritional requirement on animals to re-grow their antlers annually, and as a consequence can be a telling sign of metabolic efficiency and food gathering capability.

In most arctic and temperate-zone species, antler growth and antler shedding is considered seasonal and controlled by the amount of daylight. However, In tropical species, antlers can be shed at nearly any time of year

Antlers are boney structures unique to cervids. Antlers most commonly grow in pairs, and each antler originates out of an attachment point on the animal's skull. When the antler begins to grow, it is covered by a soft, plush layer called velvet. This velvet is vascular, and supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing antler. Antlers grow faster than any other bone in any other mammal. Once an antler reaches its full and complete size, the velvet falls off exposing the dense textured bone. The dead bone structure is what we call "mature antler".

Below is an image of an antler with its velvet outer layer.

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