A surveillance video outside the apartment of Tyra Bogert, who lives in Alaska (USA), captured the moment a mature moose suddenly stopped in the snowy road. The animal then shook its head vigorously, causing its large antlers to fall off simultaneously.
Footage from the clip shows that the moose appeared startled when its antlers unexpectedly dropped, but quickly regained composure and calmly walked away.
“This is the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen. The moose shed its antlers right in front of my house,” Bogert shared on her personal Facebook page. Her clip has gone “viral” on Facebook before being reposted and shared across various social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter.
Many netizens expressed their amazement at witnessing the moment the moose’s antlers could fall off so easily.
“I thought antlers were attached to their skulls, how could they fall off so easily and quickly?” a Twitter user commented after watching the clip.
“That’s surprising. This is the most interesting and astonishing thing I’ve seen in a while,” another Twitter user remarked.
Tyra Bogert noted that the surveillance camera alerted her when it detected unusual movement outside her door, allowing her to witness the moment the moose shed its antlers. Bogert’s husband later brought the antlers inside to use as decoration.
According to wildlife experts, only male moose grow antlers. The antlers play a crucial role as females choose mates based on the size of the males’ antlers. Additionally, moose antlers are used as a tool for self-defense.
Only male moose grow antlers.
After the mating season in winter, male moose will shed their antlers to conserve energy needed to sustain such large structures. Antlers begin to regrow in the following spring and take about 3 to 5 months to fully develop. Immature male moose may not shed their antlers in winter.
Not only moose, but species in the deer family shed their antlers annually. However, it is common for antlers not to fall off at the same time; they usually drop 1 to 4 days apart, with the left antler typically shedding first. During the shedding phase, cells around the base of the antlers grow vigorously to push the antlers off the head, causing discomfort for the animal. Deer often rub their antlers against the ground or tree roots to help ease the shedding process.
In reality, the shedding and regrowth of moose antlers is not uncommon, but such moments are not always captured on camera so clearly. Tyra Bogert’s clip is particularly special as the moose’s antlers fell off simultaneously without any significant external force.
