It is said that they may have a common heritage with fallow deer since they both have palmated antlers, but the Irish elk is much bigger and its giant antlers dwarf those of the fallow. They seem to have been acclimated to the boreal steppe-woodland environments, which consisted of scattered spruce and pine, but were most at home in low-lying areas of shrubs, especially grasses. Speaking of, the Irish elk had such a huge range, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the West to Lake Baikal in the Russian frontier, that most scientific accounts refer to them as a very adaptable and versatile animal. They must have found an excellent home in Ireland since so many skeletons, skulls, and of course massive antlers have been found there, but remains have been discovered across their range. The Irish elk is also known as the giant deer or Irish deer, and is an extinct species of the genus Megaloceros. Let’s take a closer look at this magnificent ancient animal to see where it came from, who hunted it, and what led to its extinction. It’s certainly a giant of the long forgotten woods, and we should be glad we didn’t try to chase without today’s firearms and ammunition. One thing is for certain, the last of the Irish elk died out some 8,000 to 11,000 years ago.Īs sportsmen and women, we’ve always been fascinated by these forever gone creatures as we wonder aloud what a hunt for such a beast would be like. It’s even said that the Irish elk finally went extinct due to the fact that their antlers became so large that the animals could no longer hold up their heads, or got entangled in the trees. It’s remains have also adorned a fair amount of hunting lodges and castles from Ireland to Russia. Other than its body size and spectacularly large antlers, the Irish elk has become involved in evolutionary debates among paleontologists and other scientists through the years. The name “Irish” has stuck because excellent, well-preserved fossils of the giant deer are especially common in lake sediments and peat bogs in Ireland.” In fact, it is neither an elk nor is it strictly Irish, but according to UCMP Berkeley, “It ranged throughout Europe, northern Asia and northern Africa, and a related form is known from China. The extinct Irish elk, or Megaloceros giganteus, is a bit of a misnomer, since this creature was actually the largest animal that ever existed in the deer family (sorry, moose fans). We set out to explore the saga of the Irish elk, an animal that last lived more than 11,000 years ago and counting.
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