Which statement about Bovidae horns is true?

Which statement about Bovidae horns is true?

• A. Bovidae horns have a bony core with keratin sheath that are never shed.
• B. Bovidae horns shed annually.
• C. Bovidae are reptiles.
• D. Bovidae are birds.

Answer: (A)

Understanding horn structure and growth is key. In Bovidae, horns are permanent structures made of a bony core that is continuous with the skull, covered by a keratin sheath. The keratin sheath grows with the animal, but the horn as a whole is never shed—the bone remains attached to the skull. This is why the statement is true. The other ideas don’t fit: Bovidae are mammals, not reptiles or birds, and their horns aren’t shed annually (that annual shedding describes deer antlers, not bovine horns).

Understanding horn structure and growth is key. In Bovidae, horns are permanent structures made of a bony core that is continuous with the skull, covered by a keratin sheath. The keratin sheath grows with the animal, but the horn as a whole is never shed—the bone remains attached to the skull. This is why the statement is true. The other ideas don’t fit: Bovidae are mammals, not reptiles or birds, and their horns aren’t shed annually (that annual shedding describes deer antlers, not bovine horns).