Spring Antlers

A male elk grazing on a dandelion crop captured near Jasper National Park. Only male elk have antlers and bulls shed and grow a new set of antlers every year. New antlers are covered in fuzzy skin called velvet - by late summer the velvet peels away and by September the antlers are solid bone. A set of antlers on a mature bull can weigh up to 40 pounds. The one photographed here is showing new growth starting in Spring with the velvet covering the antlers.