The Irish Elk was the largest deer that ever lived.
Its home was Eurasia, from Ireland into the lakes at Baikal, and it lived during the Pleistocen area.
The last of the giant deer died out about 7 thousand years ago.
The Irish Elk was not strictly Irish in nature, and lived in many other places too. It also was not related to the modern day Elk which it is named after.
It was however extremely large, and had formidable antlers. The Elk was about 7 feet tall at the shoulder.
Its antlers could measure as much as twelve feet from tip to tip, which is unprecedented in the deer family.
The Giant Elk probably evolved around the Eemaina interglacial time from other, smaller deer.
Not a great deal is known of its habits or the entire area in which it was available however the antlers and skeletal remains show it was enormous.
More than enough for a cave lion’s meal, I would think.
The Natural History Museum in Dublin Ireland has a huge collection of skeletal remains of the Giant Elk on view to the public.
Links to Outside Sites with information on the Giant Elk.
CGI picture from “Walking with Beasts”. Discovery Channel.
Megaloceros, Irish elk, Giant deer. BBC.
The Case of the Irish Elk. University of California at Berkeley.
Hi i’m learning about the irish elk well studying it and i need some advice like what is there conseervations measure please e mail me back at lampgirl _123@hotmail.com!!!!! Thanks
Hey i am also researching the giant irish deer and would like anythin information you could give me. Thank you.
hahahaha this is pretty cool man!! (: i love it
this is cool.. by the way im erin shields and shayne bailey and felicia davenport (: it is very interesting to look back and see what strange and wackey animals did live on this earth :p good job!
That the elk was a very very importnamt animal Ahahahah……But i think it would need more information about! Like: -The extinction -The habbitat -Where it eats/ what it eats. So if you want to write about the elk do it better!
i am trying to learn to i its very cool
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lol great website man lovin it this was just wat i needed
ive been studying the irish elk but i have some un-answered questions.
Why was it called an elk when its a deer?
been looking and can’t seem to find it
please get back to me, thanks
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