this week's question comes from severe of deraa in columbia. why do animal horns vary so greatly. some a small. others big. big maybe cuddly point upwards or downwards. but even though they look very different they all have. the same structure the bony core of the horn protrudes from the skull. then comes the sheath which is usually hollow and made of keratin similar to hair feathers fingernails and hooves. but not all animals with horns come from the same family rhinos are what's known as an odd angle it as they have 3 toes and they're the only ones in that family to have horns. other group is the brother die family they're even told and you let's which nearly all have horns they include cattle sheep and goats but also antelopes and gazelles. by contrast mussa and deer don't have horns they have antlers which are bony structures. elephant tusks by the way are neither horns nor employers but actually teeth are made of dental. but what's the purpose of hormones. in all cases they're sharp weapons to fend off enemies. but perhaps their most important function is to impress the males