This may be pretty dumb coming from someone in Wyoming, US, but........I just watched a Discovery Channel show about moose..meece, mooses, whatever. Is there a more ungaingly (dare I say ugly???) animal on the planet?

My question is......what exactly is the purpose of antlers? I know that the males/bulls/bucks use them to fight during the rut/mating season, but is there any other reason for these humongous things? I can't imagine being mounted by some male carrying 50 or more pounds of excess weight.

Also, in most of the mammalian species, it is the female who does the "calling" with her estrus......it seems that in the Cervidae family it is the male who calls with rut hormones and bugling.......what gives, here?

Why are moose and caribou antlers "palmated" and none of the other cervidae are? What are the benefits of palmated antlers? Scoop up more moss?

Please help if you can.........hopelessly lost with these questions.