A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various mammals, consisting of a covering of horn (keratin and other proteins) surrounding a core of living bone. The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Keratins are a family of fibrous structural proteins; tough and insoluble they form the hard but nonmineralized structures found in Reptiles Birds Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Bones are rigid organs that form part of the Endoskeleton of Vertebrates They function to move support and protect the various organs of the body produce True horns are found only among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cattle, goats, antelope etc. Physiologically a ruminant is a Mammal of the order Artiodactyla that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first stomach known The even-toed ungulates form the Mammal order Artiodactyla. They are Ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes about Antilocapridae is a family of artiodactyls endemic to North America. The pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana) also pronghorn antelope or prong buck, is a species of Ungulate Mammal native to interior A bovid is any of almost 140 species of Cloven-hoofed Mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Antelope are Ruminant hoofed Mammals of the family Bovidae in the order of Even-toed ungulates. ). These animals have one or occasionally two pairs of horns, which usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting. In Mathematics, a spiral is a Curve which emanates from a central point getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point In many species only the males have horns. Horns start to grow soon after birth, and continue to grow throughout the life of the animal (except in pronghorns, which shed the outer layer annually, but retain the bony core). Antilocapridae is a family of artiodactyls endemic to North America. Similar growths on other parts of the body are not usually called horns, but spurs, claws or hoofs. A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of Riding boots for the purpose of directing a Horse to move forward or laterally while riding A claw is a curved pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most Mammals, Birds, and some Reptiles. HoofRearHoovesjpg|thumb|200px|right|Rear hooves of a horse]] A hoof is the tip of a Toe of an Ungulate Mammal, strengthened by a thick horny (
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Other hornlike growths
The term "horn" is also popularly applied to other hard and pointed features attached to the head of animals in various other families:
- Giraffidae: Giraffes have one or more pairs of bony bumps on their heads. The giraffids are Ruminant Artiodactyl mammals that share a common ancestor with Deer and Bovids The biological family Giraffidae The giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African Even-toed ungulate Mammal, the tallest of all land-living Animal Species These are covered with furred skin, and although they look as if they ought to have horns on them, they do not.
- Cervidae: Most deer have antlers, which are not true horns. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. Antlers are the usually large and complex horn -like appendages of most Deer species mostly worn by males only for some species such as Caribou by both When fully developed antlers are dead bone without a horn or skin covering; they are borne only by adults (usually males) and are shed and regrown each year.
- Rhinocerotidae: The "horns" of rhinoceroses are made of keratin and grow continuously, but do not have a bone core. Rhinoceros (raɪˈnɒsərəs often colloquially abbreviated rhino, is a name used to group five extant species of Odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinoceros (raɪˈnɒsərəs often colloquially abbreviated rhino, is a name used to group five extant species of Odd-toed ungulates in the family
- Ceratopsidae: The "horns" of the Triceratops were extensions of its skull bones although debate exists over whether they had a keratin covering. Ceratopsidae (sometimes spelled Ceratopidae) is a speciose group of Marginocephalian Dinosaurs including Triceratops and Styracosaurus Triceratops (traɪˈsɛrətɒps is an extinct Genus of herbivorous ceratopsid Dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian
- Horned lizards (Phrynosoma): These lizards have horns on their heads which have a hard keratin covering over a bony core, like mammalian horns. Horned lizards ( Phrynosoma) are a genus of the Phrynosomatidae family of Lizards The horned lizard is popularly called a " horned toad,"
- Monodontidae: Male narwhals have a single long tusk, a modified tooth, which looks like a horn, and is twisted like that of the fictional unicorn. The Cetacean family Monodontidae comprises two unusual Whale species the Narwhal, in which the male has a long tusk and the white Beluga The Narwhal ( Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of Cetacean. A unicorn (from Latin unus 'one' and cornu 'horn' is a Mythological creature.
- Insects: Some insects (such as rhinoceros beetles) have horn-like structures on the head or thorax (or both). ---- The rhinoceros beetles or rhino beetle are a subfamily ( Dynastinae) of Beetles in the family of Scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae The thorax is a division of an Animal 's body that lies between the head and the Abdomen. These are pointed outgrowths of the hard chitinous exoskeleton. Chitin ( C 8 H 13 O 5 N)n (ˈkaɪtən is a long-chain Polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine An exoskeleton is an external Skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body in contrast to the internal Endoskeleton of for example a Human. Some (such as stag beetles) have greatly enlarged jaws, also made of chitin. Stag beetles are a group of about 1200 species of Beetle in the family Lucanidae, presently classified in four subfamilies Some species grow to 8
Many mammal species in various families have tusks, which often serve the same functions as true horns, but are in fact oversize teeth. A tusk is an extremely long Incisor Tooth of certain Mammals that protrudes when the Mouth is closed These include the Moschidae (Musk deer, which are ruminants), Suidae (Wild Boars), Proboscidea (Elephants), Monodontidae (Narwhals) and Odobenidae (Walruses). Musk deer are Artiodactyls of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family Moschidae. Suidae is the biological family to which Pigs and their relatives belong The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. Proboscidea is an order containing only one family of living animals Elephantidae the Elephants with three living Species ( African Bush Elephants ( family: Elephantidae) are large land Mammals of the order Proboscidea. The Cetacean family Monodontidae comprises two unusual Whale species the Narwhal, in which the male has a long tusk and the white Beluga The Narwhal ( Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of Cetacean. The walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered Marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and The walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered Marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and
polled animals or pollards are those of normally-horned (mainly domesticated) species whose horns have been removed, or which have not grown. Polled livestock (or pollards) are Livestock of normally-horned species that are lacking horns either naturally or as a result of humans removing them Domestication (from Latin domesticus) refers to the process whereby a Population of Animals In some cases such animals have small horny growths in the skin where their horns would be – these are known as scurs.
Animal uses of horns
Animals have a variety of uses for horns and antlers, including defending themselves from predators and fighting members of their own species for territory, dominance or mating priority. In Biology, mating is the pairing of opposite- Sex or hermaphroditic Organisms for copulation and in Social animals also to raise their In addition, horns may be used to root in the soil or strip bark from trees. In animal courtship many use horns in displays. Courtship is the traditional dating period before engagement and marriage For example, the male blue wildebeest reams the bark and branches of trees to impress the female and lure her into his territory. The Blue Wildebeest ( Connochaetes taurinus) is a large Ungulate mammal of the Bovid family and one of two species of Wildebeest. In Ethology, Sociobiology and Behavioral ecology, the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an Animal of a particular Species Some animals with true horns use them for cooling, the blood vessels in the bony core allowing the horns to function as a radiator. Radiators and convectors are types of Heat exchangers designed to transfer Thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling
Human uses of horns
Use of animal horns is controversial, especially if the animal was specifically hunted for the horn as a hunting trophy or object of decoration or utility. Hunting is the practice of pursuing Animals for Food, Recreation, or Trade. 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. A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. A shofar (שופר is a horn used for Jewish religious purposes 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. A brass instrument is a Musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular Resonator. A cone is a three-dimensional Geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat round base to a point called the apex or vertex A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes the Surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given Straight line, the axis These are called horns, though made of metal. The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across
Drinking horns' are bovid horns removed from the bone core, cleaned and polished and used as drinking vessels. A drinking horn was a Drinking vessel formerly common in some parts of the world and notably in Northern Europe. Drinking is the act of consuming a liquid through the mouth Water, for example is required for many of life's physiological processes and excess or decreased water intake (See also the legend of the Horn of plenty, or Cornucopia). The cornucopia ( Latin: Cornu Copiae) is a symbol of food and abundance dating back to the 5th century BC, also referred to as horn 'o' plenty
Powder horns were originally bovid horns fitted with lids and carrying straps, used to carry gunpowder. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes 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, sometimes including keratin from other parts of animals, such as hoofs. Keratins are a family of fibrous structural proteins; tough and insoluble they form the hard but nonmineralized structures found in Reptiles Birds Horn may be used as a material in tools, furniture and decoration, among other uses. In these applications, horn is valued for its hardness, and it has given rise to the expression hard as horn. Horn is somewhat thermoplastic and (like tortoiseshell) was formerly used for many purposes where plastic would now be used. A thermoplastic is a Plastic that Melts to a liquid when heated and freezes to a Brittle, very Glassy state when cooled sufficiently Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products Horn may be used to make glue. Glue or adhesive is a compound that adheres or bonds two items together
Horn bows are bows made from a combination of horn, sinew and usually wood. A composite bow is a bow made from disparate materials laminated together usually applied under tension A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of Fibrous connective tissue that usually connects Muscle to Bone and is capable of withstanding tension These materials allow more energy to be stored in a short bow than wood would.
Ivory comes from the teeth of animals, not horns. Ivory is formed from Dentine and constitutes the bulk of the Teeth and Tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus,
"Horn" buttons are usually made from deer antlers, not true horn. In Clothing and Fashion design, a button is a small plastic or metal disc- or knob-shaped typically round object usually attached to an article of Clothing
See also
- Horn (disambiguation page)
- Horn (instrument)
- Horned helmet
- Polled livestock
- Tortoiseshell
External links
European Bronze Age and Iron Age helmets with horns are known from a few depictions and even fewer actual finds Polled livestock (or pollards) are Livestock of normally-horned species that are lacking horns either naturally or as a result of humans removing themDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic