Let's look at Megaloceros giganteus, AKA the giant deer!
Often called the Irish Elk (even though it wasn’t an elk, and didn’t just live in Ireland), Megaloceros was one of the largest deer ever to walk the Earth. Standing at over 2 metres tall at the shoulder, with huge antlers spanning up to 3.5 metres, these Ice Age giants would’ve made today’s reindeer look like fawns!
They lived during the last Ice Age, roaming open grasslands and woodland edges across Europe and Asia. Despite their size, they were surprisingly well-adapted. Those enormous antlers used for display and dominance during the breeding season were not at all subtle, but likely very effective. Now, just imagine a whole team of them harnessed up, hauling a sled with several tonnes of presents, and a rather jolly man in a red suit, without breaking a sweat.
Megaloceros disappeared around 7,700 years ago, likely due to a mix of climate change and human pressure. Their fossils, especially those incredible antlers, remain some of the most jaw-dropping Ice Age finds ever uncovered to date!
Fun fact: Some Megaloceros antlers are so well preserved that you can still see growth lines, allowing scientists to tell how fast they grew and roughly how old the animal was. A bit like reading tree rings, but on a deer’s head.
