Although the large-horned deer has long been extinct, its image, restored on the basis of archaeological finds, today delights and amazes. The greatest interest is caused by his large, like elk horns. There is never and never was the second such deer in the world!
Giant deer (lat. Megaloceros giganteus) because of its huge horns is also called Irish elk. This species of extinct mammal belonged to the deer family (lat. Cervidae), the order of artiodactyls, and the suborder of ruminants (lat. Ruminantia). This is one of the largest deer that has ever lived on Earth.
Nearest Kindred
Due to the shovel-shaped horns, this extinct species of giant deer was from the very beginning considered a close relative of moose and modern fallow deer. Later morphological and molecular studies have proved its kinship with the current Canadian deer (lat. Cervus elaphus canadensis) and red deer (lat. Cervus elaphus). Only recent genetic studies have conclusively confirmed that the closest relative of Megaloceros giganteus, in fact, is the European fallow deer.
Giant Megaloceras: Origin
Archaeological studies show that Megaloceros giganteus lived in Northern Europe and North Asia (inhabited almost the whole of Eurasia: from Ireland to Lake Baikal), as well as on the northern outskirts of Africa. Most of the animal’s fossils were found in the swamps of present-day Ireland, hence its second name is Irish moose. We add that the term "moose" was assigned to it because of the external similarity of the horns. Several skeletons of this giant were discovered on the territory of our country (Crimea, the North Caucasus, Sverdlovsk and Ryazan regions).
These prehistoric animals lived at the end of the Pleistocene and at the beginning of the Holocene, that is, from 400 thousand to 7700 years ago. Megaloceros giganteus probably belonged to the so-called megafauna of the Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Next to him lived in particular saber-toothed tigers, bears and cave lions, smilodons, as well as mammoths and hairy rhinos, which together with him constituted the group of the largest herbivores of that period.
Description of a giant animal
The size of the large-horned deer significantly exceeded the size of modern deer. In appearance, he rather resembled the famous moose. A strong physique is more a regularity than an exception. There is nothing surprising in it, because the animal had to carry its huge horns, and this requires a mountain of muscles and a strong skeleton. The structure of the body, he looked like an Alaskan moose (lat. Alces alces gigas), which is currently considered the largest living member of the genus. The large-horned deer reached about 2.1 m in height at the withers. Despite its enormous size, he ate the same food as today's deer. From the cave paintings created by ancient people of the Pleistocene and Holocene eras, it is clear that they often met this giant and even hunted for it.
Giant deer horns
The impressive horns of the giant deer were about three meters wide. The largest horns of this deer found during archaeological excavations reached 3.65 m, and weighed almost 40 kg! This fact is so unusual and unique that even several different theories of their evolution have appeared. Some scientists are of the opinion that such horns in an animal are the result of strict natural selection. Males actively used formations on their heads in the struggle for the attention of females. Thus, only the largest and strongest individuals survived and gave offspring.
According to another theory, the Irish deer became extinct due to its horns. At some point, they reached very bulky sizes and began to interfere with the usual way of life. The reason for the extinction of the species, scientists call the offensive of the forest in the open spaces on which it probably inhabited. Horns interfered with the animal while passing through dense thickets and forests, because of this he often got stuck and could not get out. Deer became easy prey for predators, which ultimately destroyed them.
More recent research
This evolutionary theory has been formulated by scientists for a long time. However, it was not until 1974 that it was examined in more detail in a study on Megaloceros by Stephen Jay Gould. He proved that the big-horned deer had really large and disproportionate horns. This was probably the result of allometry, that is, uneven growth. As a result, her body proportions were disrupted.
