It has been suggested that the animal had genetically evolved so as to grow large antlers. The Megaloceros (mega-lok-er-os) or Irish Elk lived during the last ice age, along side man, woolly mammoth, woolly rhino, neanderthal, and the british sabre-toothed cat. Its fossils reveal that the animals antlers were 12 feet long. They stood about 7 ft. tall at the shoulder, and their antlers were 12 ft. across. This caused severe food shortage and the animals could not repair, grow back or reproduce healthy antlers or offspring. Today, it finds itself enlisted among the The jaguar is one of the most fascinating creatures found in the wild. The Irish Elk Megaloceros giganteus (also called Giant Deer) is an extinct deer species which once walked the earth about 7,700 years ago.It was found predominantly in the Eurasian subcontinent, which extends from Ireland to the Russian lake Baikal. Which made it harder for the animal to carry its own weight and eventually led to its extinction.Another justification for the Irish elk’s extinction has been associated with low nourishment and lack of food sources. (2010), "Giant Deer: Origin, Evolution, Role in the Biosphere", Bro-Jorgensen, J. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Though no one alive today has ever seen one in the flesh, the fossilized remains of this species give us a good estimation of what they looked like. Fossilization requires specific types of conditions, so it is likely that these deer lived in other areas and specimens simply decayed as usual, instead of undergoing preservation.Researchers believe that they lived throughout much of Europe, northern Asia, and northern Africa. - Antler growth and extinction of Irish elk. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.We hope you enjoy this website. Their native range included Europe and northern Asia – from Ireland in the west to as far as Lake Baikal in the east. However, they are unsure whether hunting contributed to the extinction of this species.Various scientists differ in opinion, but most agree that the decline of optimal habitat after the previous Ice Age, as well as added pressure from hunting, ended this species. Lough Neagh is the home of other Irish elk remains. Experts have always wondered how this magnificent animal withered off and have given their probable theories for its extinction...The Irish Elk was the biggest deer to have ever lived on earth. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Pollman, W. Rosendahl, B. Stapel "Erstmals datierte organische Artefakte aus dem Spätpaläolithikum Westfalens Archäologie in Westfalen". Perhaps the breeding of these animals, was slower than the rate at which they were being hunted. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. We can assume that this species, because it is quite similar in size and shape to As far as their diet, behavior, and breeding habitats, we simply cannot know what is optimal. Why did the Irish elk go extinct? (2014), "Will their armaments be their downfall? Although orthogenesis was a common evolutionary theory in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it has since been abandoned for lack of a plausible mechanism. Presented below are some jaguar animal facts that will be interesting to read.Most people think that animals in circus and movies like what they do. A 460 kg (1,010 lb) doe may have had a gestation period of about 274 days. Giant deer that once roamed the prehistoric British Isles were thought to have been wiped out towards the end of the Ice Age. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. After antler growing, stags could probably satisfy their nutritional requirements in productive sedge lands bordered by willow and birch forests.The Irish elk may have been preyed upon by the large carnivores of the time, including the Lister and Stewart note that "With the exception of the Irish late-glacial, finds of Historically, the extinction of the elk has been attributed to the encumbering size of the antlers, a "However, antler size decreases through the Late Pleistocene and into the Holocene, and so may not have been the primary cause of extinction.The range of the taxon appears to have collapsed during the While the range of the taxon was dramatically reduced after the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, it managed to survive into the early Lister and Stewart concluded in a study of the extinction of the Irish elk that "it seems clear that environmental factors, cumulatively over thousands of years, reduced giant deer populations to a highly vulnerable state. The extension may have taken several decades to complete its cycle.Claims have been made that loss of habitat due to human settlement may have played simultaneous roles in causing the Irish elk to become extinct.Suggests that the deer could not adapt to the drastic change in climate and was unable to survive in the subarctic conditions.The final theory is that the animal did not become extinct but gradually evolved.

Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! The Irish Elk Deer lived in Eurasia and Africa, but it was most commonly found in Ireland. - Evolutionary Ecology Research 1: 235–249 - R. A. Moen, J. Pastor & Y. Cohen - 1999. (2011), "Historical Development and Geographical Distribution of Giant Deer (Cervidae, Megacerini)", International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1989. They lived in many of the same areas that ancient humans did.There is simply no way to know for sure what these giant elk ate while they lived. "Die 'Riesenhirsch Fundstelle' von Endingen: geowissenschaftliche und archäologische Untersuchungen an einem spätglazialen Fundplatz in Vorpommern". The reason being that humans had begun hunting the elk for meat, skin and bones for making weapons, tools and support frames for building shelter.

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