A goat with
unusual horns
Highland
cow, a very old long-horned breed from Scotland.
A horn is a hollow,
pointed projection of the skin of various animals, consisting mainly of keratin
as well as other proteins. True horns are found only among the ruminant artiodactyls,
in the families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cows, buffalo, yaks, goats,
antelope etc.). Those animals have one or two pairs of horns, which usually
have a spiral shape.
The term is popularly
applied also to any hard and pointed elements attached to the head of animals
in various other families:
Many animal species in
various families have tusks, which often serve the same functions as true
horns, but are in fact oversize teeth. These include the Moschidae (Musk deer,
which are ruminants), Suidae (Wild Boars), Proboscidea (Elephants), Monodontidae
(Narwhals) and Odobenidae (Walruses).
Wildlife have a variety of
uses for horns and antlers, including fighting attacking predators and fighting
members of their own species for territory, dominance and mating priority. In
addition, horns may be used to root in the soil or strip bark from trees. In
animal courtship there are specific species that use horns in displays of
attraction. For example, the male Blue Wildebeest reams the bark and branches
of trees to impress the female and lure her into his territory. Horns are also
used by some animals with true horns to provide cooling. Since horns are an
extension of the skin, they have blood vessels in them, allowing the horns to
function as a radiator to cool the blood.
Use of animal horns is
controversial, especially if the animal was specifically hunted for the horn as
a trophy or object of decoration or utility. Some animals are threatened or
endangered to reduced populations partially from pressures of such hunting.
Some peoples use bovid
horns as musical instruments, for example the shofar. These have evolved into brass
instruments in which, unlike the trumpet, the bore gradually increases in width
through most of its length — that is to say, it is conical rather than cylindrical.
These are called horns, though made of metal.
Drinking horns are bovid horns cleaned and
polished and used as drinking vessels. (See also the legend of the Horn of
plenty, or Cornucopia).
Powder horns were originally bovid horns fitted
with lids and carrying straps, used to carry gunpowder. Powder flasks of any
material may be referred to as powder horns.
Antelope horns are used in
traditional Chinese medicine.
Horn can also refer to keratin,
the material of which a horn is made. This is most common when a horn is used
as a material in tools, furniture, decoration, and other uses. In these
applications, horn is valued for its hardness, and has given rise to the
expression hard as horn.
Ivory comes from the teeth
of animals, not horns. "Horn" buttons are usually made from deer
antlers, not true horn.
Wikipedia