What is a mossed head?

Can you explain if there is a difference between a perruque head and a mossed head? I have seen the term mossed head used, but have been unable to find an explanation for what it is. Is it simply another term for perruque?

It’s often suggested that a mossed head is the remains of a perruque. A perruque head is a deformity of the antlers most often associated with roe and mainly in males, although it does occur in females. It is found more rarely in other species.

In males, the growing antlers do not fully harden and remain covered in velvet, eventually forming a significant mass on the animal’s head.

Females are more likely to develop a velvet-covered mass on their heads. This mass is not cast and has been

(left) known in some individuals to continue from year to year and eventually result in the animal’s death through infection or disease.

Some perruque heads are more defined than others, with some still roe-shaped with beams and tines, while others have no definition.

Perruque heads, even undefined examples, have an underlying solid core. This is most easily seen if the mass is X-rayed.

Where a head is allowed to rot down after death, this solid core is left. Often it consists of two columns of bone, sometimes with tines. The core is often light in weight and can be brittle.

It is this core that is often described as a mossed head. Many have been found, often among the bones of the long-dead animal. They can look a bit like a lump of coral with abundant nooks and crannies, and can be quite sharp to touch. IW

(right)

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Deformities leading to mossed and perruque

heads are mostly associated with roe deer