Irish Elk: Huge Pleistocene Deer

The Irish Elk (megaloceros) is an extinct genus of deer that lived up until the last Ice Age in the Pleistocene Epoch. It is best known for its gigantic antlers, which dwarfed even those possessed by modern moose. The animal gets its name from the numerous remains that have been found preserved in Irish bogs, although skeletons have also been unearthed elsewhere. Because it is not exclusive to Ireland, this animal has often been referred to as the Giant Deer.

Irish Elk were the largest deer ever, standing around seven feet tall at the shoulder. The huge set of antlers were up to 12 feet across, and given their weight it is a marvel that the animal was able to hold its head up off the ground at all. These antlers were used in mating displays as in modern species of deer and only the males had such impressive antlers. In addition, the males would grapple their antlers together and try to force the other to submit in order to gain dominance over territory or females. The problem with these antlers is that their formation would have required enormous quantities of dietary calcium, something that is contained in limited amounts in vegetation. Thus, it is possible that male Irish Elk suffered from a form of osteoporosis due to a lack of enough calcium to both form strong bones and large antlers.

The Irish Elk was well suited for life in Ireland during much of the Pleistocene, when this region was covered in vast grasslands and small lakes. A male with such wide antlers would be unable to negotiate tight conditions in forests and scrublands, so it seems likely that these giant deer would prefer more open spaces. It is likely that these herbivores grazed on the leaves of small plants and grasses. In Ireland, this deer would have been relatively safe from predators, although on continental Eurasia it would have faced the prospect of hunting from man. In more isolated areas it would have had to contend only with wolves and other small predators.

Unable to survive through the last Ice Age, these majestic deer died out a mere 11,000 years ago. The encroaching cold temperatures and freezing from the Arctic would have disrupted the Irish elk's seasonal routines. Unable to eat enough food to last it through the ever-widening winters, the genus died out in large numbers through the course of the Ice Age. It is likely that hunting from early humans helped to deplete their numbers as well in the late Pleistocene.