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The Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus), [1] [2] also called the giant deer or Irish deer, is an extinct species of deer in the genus Megaloceros and is one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its range extended across Eurasia during the Pleistocene , from Ireland (where it is known from abundant remains found in bogs) to Lake Baikal in Siberia .
The Irish elk and the red deer both became extinct in Ireland about 10,500 years ago during the Nahanagan Stadial. The reindeer was extirpated from Ireland about 9,500 years ago. Many of their skeletal remains have been found well preserved in peat land. [3]
In 1844 Richard Owen named another synonym of the Irish elk, including it within the newly named subgenus Megaceros, Cervus (Megaceros) hibernicus. This has been suggested to be derived from another junior synonym of the Irish elk described by J. Hart in 1825, Cervus megaceros . [ 8 ]
The list of extinct mammals could go on for ages, but each animal has a unique story. With today’s advanced research, we can learn so much from animals that haven’t even existed during our ...
Only a small number of the listed species are globally extinct (most famously the Irish elk, great auk and woolly mammoth). Most of the remainder survive to some extent outside the islands. The list includes introduced species only in cases where they were able to form self-sustaining colonies for a time.
The extinct cervid Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) reached over 2.1 m (7 ft) in height, 680 kg (1,500 lb) in mass and could have antlers spanning up to 4.3 m (14 ft) across, about twice the maximum span for a moose's antlers.
Elk were reintroduced to the Eastern Kentucky mountains 30 years ago. Now, the hunters and eco-tourism they bring in is boosting the local economy. From extinct to tourism boom: Elk thrive atop ...
Moose were also formerly native to Britain, before dying out during the mid-Holocene, over 5,000 years ago. [3] The comparably sized Irish elk, which had the largest antlers of any deer was formerly also native to Britain, until becoming regionally extinct some 12,000 years ago. [4]