Illustration and photo-reconstruction of an Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus). The Irish elk possessed one of the most complex and spectacular antlers

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Illustration and photo-reconstruction of an Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus). The Irish elk possessed one of the most complex and spectacular antlers amongst deer, reaching a span of up to meters. They were shed and regrown each year. The appearance of the first megacerine was observed about million years ago, and bone remains from the Early Pleistocene were found in the British Isles, Germany, and Eastern Europe (Moldova and Ukraine). The Irish elk became extinct about 11,000 years ago, much later than other representatives of the mammoth fauna. The last refuge of the Megaloceros was the forest-steppe of the Southern and Middle Urals.

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Size: 6494px × 4328px
Photo credit: © ROMAN UCHYTEL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -toed, age, ancient, animal, artwork, background, composite, deer, elk, eurasian, extinct, fauna, giant, giganteus, herbivorous, ice, illustration, irish, large-antler, mammal, megafauna, megaloceros, palaeontological, palaeontology, palaeozoological, palaeozoology, paleontological, paleontology, pleistocene, prehistoric, prehistory, ungulate, white, wildlife