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Muscle Minerals Varied Across the Antler Cycle in Wild Red Deer

Red deer stag with velvet-covered growing antlers
Research · Physiology

Muscle mineral composition differed among four sampling periods across the annual antler cycle in wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) from central Spain. Researchers examined 32 adult males harvested by selective stalking, with eight sampled in September, January, April and June.

The clearest changes involved minerals that are important in mineralised tissues. Calcium and magnesium concentrations in the longissimus muscle were highest in April. Iron and zinc were lower in April and June than earlier in the cycle, although the individual minerals did not all follow the same seasonal pattern.

The April and June samples coincided with antler growth

The sampling months represented different stages of the annual cycle. April coincided with the onset of the period when skeletal minerals are mobilised during rapid antler growth, while June represented a later stage of that process. This temporary withdrawal of minerals from the skeleton during antler mineralisation is known as cyclical physiological osteoporosis. The study measured mineral concentrations in muscle rather than mineral movement directly.

The authors therefore interpret the seasonal mineral pattern as more closely associated with mobilisation of skeletal reserves during antler growth than with changes in diet alone. The result is an interpretation of the combined seasonal pattern, not a direct measurement of calcium moving from bone into antlers.

Other muscle traits also changed with season

Carcass yield was highest in September, and intramuscular fat was higher in September than in April. Several fatty acids also differed among sampling months, showing that the mineral changes occurred alongside broader seasonal shifts in body condition and muscle composition.

Red deer rebuild their antlers each year, creating a short period of unusually high demand for minerals. The study shows that this cycle is accompanied by measurable changes in muscle composition in free-ranging adult males, while leaving the exact physiological pathways to be tested more directly.

Sources and image credit

  1. Serrano, M. P., Lorenzo, J. M., Bermúdez, R., Purriños, L., Fierro, Y., García, A. J., Wang, D., Alegría-Aravena, N., Chonco, L., & Landete-Castillejos, T. (2026). Effects of season and antler growth on carcass traits and meat quality in wild male red deer harvested by selective stalking. PLOS ONE, 21(7), e0352456.Peer-reviewed primary study of 32 adult wild male red deer sampled in central Spain in September, January, April and June.

Image: Mehmet Karatay; retouched by Massimo Catarinella / Wikimedia Commons — living red deer stag with velvet antlers in Glen Torridon, Scotland; representative antler-growth image · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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