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Which bovid species have horns in both males and females?
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bovid
American bison, or plains buffalo (Bison bison).
In the family Bovidae, horns are a defining characteristic consisting of a permanent, unbranched horny sheath covering a bony core. While males of all 143 bovid species possess horns, females of approximately two-thirds of these species also grow them.12
Because the family includes a wide variety of animals, many well-known species exhibit horns in both sexes, including:
- Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis): Both rams and ewes possess horns, though they are significantly larger and more massive in males.3
- Goats and Sheep: Many species within the subfamily Caprinae feature horns on both males and females.13
- Cattle and Bison: These are prominent examples of bovids where both sexes typically develop horns.1
In contrast to the deer family, where antlers are generally restricted to males and are shed annually, bovid horns are never shed and are permanent features of the animal's anatomy.12