Animals with the Weirdest and Unique Horns

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. True horns are found only among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae. These animals have one or occasionally two pairs of horns, which usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting. 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).

Image Source

One creature with the weirdest horn in the world is a bull named Lurch. According to the Guinness Book of Records, he is the bull with the largest horn circumference in the world, measuring 37.5 inches.

Image Source

This is a goat with unique and handsome horns - spiral horns. Domestic goats are scientifically called Capra aegagrus hircus. They are raise for their meat, milk, hair and skins.  Domestic goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. n the last century, they have also gained some popularity as pets.

Image Source

This is a ram with two pairs of horns. A ram is an uncastrated male sheep. Sheep are one of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes. They are raised for fleece, meat (lamb or mutton) and milk. A sheep's wool is the most widely used of any animal, and is usually harvested by shearing.

Image Source

Here's another sheep with unique horns, this one has four horns.

Image Source

This mammal is definitely one creature with weird horns. This animal is called the pronghorn or scientifically known as Antilocapra Americana, it is also called pronghorn antelope or prong buck, a species of ungulate mammal native to interior western North America.  It is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae.

Image Source

Not only mammals have horns, some insects also do. The Atlas beetle, Chalcosoma atlas, is a species of beetle with horns. They are found in southern Asia, especially Malaysia, remarkable for their size (25-130 mm). As common in many insect species, the male is larger than the female and usually two males will fight for a female for mating.

Image Source

Another insect with a distinct horn-like object is the Lucanus cervus, the best-known species of stag beetle and is sometimes referred to simply as the stag beetle. Once quite common, the population of the Lucanus cervus, along with that of other species of beetles which feed on wood, is in steep decline, and is now listed as a globally threatened/declining species.

Here's an additional list of mammals with weird and unique pair of horns.

Image Source

A deer on display in a museum has one of the most peculiar horns. This animal seems to suffer from some sort of horn disease.

Image Source

A water buffalo or carabao with distinctively unique pair of horns.

Look at those horns. This is a deer with weird horns. See image here.

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 addition, horns may be used to root in the soil or strip bark from trees. In animal courtship many use horns in displays. Some animals with true horns use them for cooling. The blood vessels in the bony core allow the horns to function as a radiator.

For more amazing and animal-related articles see

15 Amazing Animals From Around the World

World's Most Expensive Animals

Top 15 Most Venomous Cobras in the World

The Most Beautifully and Uniquely Colored Mammals in the World

World's Most Colorful, Beautiful and Poisonous Frogs

12 Animals with the Longest Lifespan in the World

12 Animals and Their Bizarre Habits and Traits

Temporary and Permanent Cave Dwellers

The "Ships of the Desert"

World's Most Venomous Mammals

Bizarre Sleeping Habits of Animals

Amazing Animals and Their Unique (while Sometimes Bizarre) Traits

15 Simply Amazing Animals