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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 .
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.
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 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.
Skeleton of an Irish elk, Indian Museum. There are four species of deer living wild in Ireland today, namely red deer, fallow deer, sika deer, [1] and the recently introduced Reeve's muntjac, which is becoming established.
Elk are important to wildlife enthusiasts, indigenous communities and hunters all across the United States. ... USA TODAY. Mount Washington sees 161-mph wind gust, but doesn't reach record high ...
Oct. 9—With elk bugling and dark, clear skies above, Valles Caldera is a beautiful place for stargazing. Most days the relatively young national preserve closes at 5 p.m., but through Sunday ...
The extinct Irish elk ... which is still wild in the steppe of central Asia, ... is the largest vombatiform alive today with a head and body length up to 102 cm ...