Horn (anatomy)

For other types of horns, see horn (disambiguation).

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A horn is a hollow, pointed projection of the skin of various animals. In ruminant artiodactyls, the horns are paired and take various forms depending on the family:

• Tragulidae: No horns.
• Antilocapridae: The horn has a prong.
• Giraffidae: There are bony bumps covered with furred skin which look like they ought to have horns on them, but do not.
• Cervidae: Deer have antlers, which are not true horns. Made of bone, they are shed and regrown each year.
• Moschidae: Musk deer have no horns, but instead have tusks.
• Bovidae: The horns are made of horn (i.e. keratin) and are cones bent into spiral shapes.

Rhinoceros "horns" are actually compacted hair, not true horn.

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.

See also

• horn (instrument)