Zombiism in nature? Reindeer's 'horny cannibalism' could lead to deadly disease outbreaks
Norwegian scientists have discovered that starving reindeer can eat each other’s antlers, chewing them off their heads and infecting them with a deadly prion disease. A few decades ago, the reindeer living in the Skarvheimen highlands in Norway noticed extremely unusual behavior: they ate each other’s horns. By itself, this is often found among ungulate mammals or Modern hoofed mammals: osteophagy allows it to replenish the supply of minerals necessary for growing horns and hooves. But usually, animals gnaw on already discarded horns, but here they bite them straight from the head of their nei...