The origins of the regenerative nature of antlers, being branched and deciduous apophyseal appendages of frontal bones of cervid artiodactyls, have long been associated with permanent evolutionary precursors. In this study, we provide novel insight into growth modes of evolutionary early antlers. We analysed a total of 34 early antlers affiliated to ten species, including the oldest known, dating from the early and middle Miocene (approx. 18 to 12 million years old) of Europe. Our findings provide empirical data from the fossil record to demonstrate that growth patterns and a regular cycle of necrosis, abscission and regeneration are consistent with data from modern antlers. The diverse histological analyses indicate that primary processes and mechanisms of the modern antler cycle were not gradually acquired during evolution, but were fundamental from the earliest record of antler evolution and, hence, explanations why deer shed antlers have to be rooted in basic histogenetic mechanisms. The previous interpretation that proximal circular protuberances, burrs, are the categorical traits for ephemerality is refuted.

鹿角是鹿科偶蹄动物额骨的分枝和落叶的骨突附属物，其再生性质的起源长期以来一直与永久进化的先驱联系在一起。在这项研究中，我们对进化早期鹿角的生长模式提供了新的见解。我们分析了属于 10 个物种的总共 34 个早期鹿角，其中包括已知最古老的鹿角，其历史可以追溯到欧洲中新世早期和中期（大约 18 至 1200 万年前）。我们的研究结果提供了来自化石记录的经验数据，以证明生长模式和坏死、脱落和再生的规律周期与现代鹿角的数据一致。不同的组织学分析表明，现代鹿角周期的主要过程和机制并不是在进化过程中逐渐获得的，而是鹿角进化的最早记录的基础，因此，解释了为什么鹿脱落鹿角必须植根于基本的组织发生机制。先前关于近端圆形突起、毛刺是短暂性特征的解释被驳斥了。