| Megaloceros | |
|---|---|
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| An artist's illustration of Megaloceros giganteus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | Cervinae |
| Genus: | †Megaloceros Brookes, 1828 |
| Referred species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Megaloceros is an extinct genus of Eurasian deer that lived from the Pleistocene until its extinction less than 8,000 years ago. The type species, M. giganteus, is referred to as the Irish elk, and all other species are disputed as to their validity.
Classification[]
Megaloceros is regarded as a member of the subfamily Cervinae in the family Cervidae alongside all other true deer. Despite its common name calling the animal an elk, Megaloceros is not a true elk, as the term generally applies to only Cervus canadensis. Megaloceros' closest living family member is the fallow deer (Dama). The genus has been sometimes placed in the tribe Megacerini with other "giant deer" like Praemegaceros and Sinomegaceros, but this tribe is up for debate on its status as monophyletic.
Paleoecology[]
Most members of the genus were extremely large animals that favored meadows or open woodlands, with most species averaging slightly below 2 meters (6 ft) at the withers. Many of the Mediterranean species, on the other hand, were textbook examples of insular dwarfism, such as the Sardinian (and Corsican; the two were joined for much of the Pleistocene) M. cazioti, which was barely 1 meter tall. The various species of the Cretan genus Candiacervus - the smallest of which, C. rhopalophorus was just 65 centimeters (26 in) high at the shoulder - are sometimes included in Megaloceros as a subgenus.
While most studies place all species in Megaloceros, sometimes the genus is considered more restricted in scope. In the most extreme case, it might be limited to M. antecedens and M. giganteus, the others being separated in Praemegaceros (European lineage) and Sinomegaceros (East Asian lineage). While the latter is probably valid as a subgenus, the former taxon requires more research as to its relationship with Megaloceros sensu stricto and Candiacervus in particular.
In popular culture[]
- Megaloceros appeared in the final episode of Walking with Beasts as a living creature and as a subfossil.
- Megaloceros appeared in ARK: Survival Evolved.
- Megaloceros appears in Prehistoric Kingdom
- Megaloceros appears in Riverdance: The Animated Adventure
- King Thrainduil’s mount resembles Megaloceros in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Gallery[]
.jpg "Megaloceros large (1).jpg (20 KB)")
