Megaloceros

For the hornwort, see Megaceros.

Megaloceros Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Late Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Cervidae
Genus:	Megaloceros
Species
M. antecedens M. cazioti M. dawkinsi M. giganteus (type species) M. luochuanensis M. obscurus M. pachyosteus M. savini M. verticornis
Synonyms
Megaceroides Megaceros Orthogonoceros Praemegaceros Sinomegaceros and see text

The deer of the genus Megaloceros - (from Greek: megalos + keras, literally "Great Horn"); see also Lister (1987) - were found throughout Eurasia from the late Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene, and were important herbivores during the Ice Ages. The largest species, M. giganteus, vernacularly known as the "Irish Elk" or "Giant elk", is also the best known.

Most members of the genus were extremely large animals that favoured meadows or open woodlands, with most species averaging slightly below 2 metres 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 metre tall. The various species of the Cretan genus Candiacervus - the smallest of which, C. rhopalophorus was just 65 cm high at the shoulder - are sometimes included in Megaloceros as a subgenus.

Skeleton of Megaloceros giganteus

As the name "Irish Elk" implies, the larger species were somewhat similar in general habitus to the European Elk (Moose) and the American Elk. However, this has by now been shown to be a consequence of their increased size. The actual relationships are with the fallow deer genus Dama, and the genus was part of a Late Neogene Eurasian radiation of fallow deer relatives of which today only 2 taxa remain.(Lister et al. 2005, Hughes et al. 2006)

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.

Species in chronological sequence

• M. obscurus

Earliest known species from the Early Pleistocene of Europe. Had long, crooked antlers.

• M. luochuanensis

Early to Mid-Pleistocene species found in the Shaanxi Loess of China.

• M. verticornis

Early to Mid-Pleistocene species, closely related to M. obscurus. Found throughout Southern Europe. Is suspected of being the ancestor of the Mediterranean species, and possibly^{[citation needed]} Candiacervus.

• M. antecedens

Very similar to M. giganteus, to the point where it is often regarded as a paleosubspecies of the latter. The antlers differ, in that they are more compact, and the tines near the base are large and palmate. Found in Mid-Pleistocene Germany.

• M. pachyosteus

Mid-Pleistocene China and Japan. Has long, curved antlers.

• M. savini

Mid-Pleistocene species, slightly larger than a caribou, first found near Sainte Savine, France. Its antlers were straight, with thorn-like prongs. The lowermost prongs near the base were palmate.

• M. cazioti

Dwarf Mediterranean species from the Late Pleistocene of Sardinia and Corsica. About 1 metre at the shoulders, and is believed to be descended from M. verticornis.

• M. dawkinsi

A Late Pleistocene species native to Great Britain, very similar to M. savini. The first human inhabitants of Britain may have encountered it, as some antler fragments have been found that have been carved into crude tools.

• M. giganteus

Largest, best known, and among the last species of the genus, about 2 metres at the shoulders. Found throughout Eurasia, from Ireland to China during the last Ice Age.

References

• Hughes, Sandrine; Hayden, Thomas J.; Douady, Christophe J.; Tougard, Christelle; Germonpré, Mietje; Stuart, Anthony; Lbova, Lyudmila; Carden, Ruth F.; Hänni, Catherine; Say, Ludovic (2006): Molecular phylogeny of the extinct giant deer, Megaloceros giganteus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40(1): 285–291. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.004 PDF fulltext. Supplementary data 1, DOC fulltext Supplementary data 2, DOC fulltext Supplementary data 3, DOC fulltext
• Lister, A.M. (1987): Megaceros or Megaloceros? The nomenclature of the giant deer. Quaternary Newsletter 52: 14-16.
• Lister, A.M.; Edwards, C.J.; Nock, D.A.; Bunce, M.; van Pijlen, I.A.; Bradley, D.G.; Thomas, M.G. & Barnes, I. (2005): The phylogenetic position of the 'giant deer' Megaloceros giganteus. Nature PMID 16148942 doi:10.1038/nature04134 PDF fulltext Supplementary information

Paleontology portal