The owners of larger antlers would have more offspring, cementing the trait in the population. Dr. Mike Simms from the Ulster Museum said Great Irish Elk roamed Ireland about 17,000 years ago. They also examined the corresponding changes in body condition and pregnancy rates of those elk.
We are no longer accepting comments on this article.Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media GroupAre sewers breeding new superbugs? Two men, Raymond McElroy and Charlie Coyle, went fishing in early September in Lough Neagh, a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland.They caught something in their net about a half mile from shore in 20 feet of water, but what they caught they definitely weren’t expecting.The men brought home an enormous Irish elk skull that’s estimated to be more than 10,500 years old, of an elk species is now extinct. Though no one alive today has ever seen one in the flesh, the fossilized remains of this species give us a good estimation of what they looked like. The giant deer, also known as the giant Irish deer or Irish elk, is one of the largest deer species that ever lived. in the House of CommonsDuncan Bannatyne's wife slams 'luxury' Italian hotel as 'disgusting'Russia: Dry dock hits ships as winds from Typhoon Maysak move itTourist in India shouts 'nobody has corona it doesn't exist'Critic says Netflix deal is biggest exploitation of Royal familyRoyal critics: Harry looking unhappy and Meghan an average actressLatest figures and key dates in ongoing Brexit processChilling moment police search flat where double killer stored bodiesMagnificent stone remains of a 2,500-year-old royal palace from the time of the Kings of Judah are found...Europe's largest telescope captures stunning images of the sun showing intricate details of sunspots and...Battle of the sexes! The Irish Elk is an extinct species within the Cervidae family – closely related to living deer species. Simms said: “giant antlers aren’t great in the forest, and ultimately Environmental change is what caused their extinction.” Advertisement This isn’t the first case when the remains of Irish Elk were found in Lough Neagh. Recently, a popular hypothesis for the Irish elk extinction has been their inability to cope with the nutritional demands of growing such large antlers during worsening habitat conditions. In 2014, the jaw portion of a Giant Irish Elk was found in the same lake, and now some wonder if the two sets of bones are from the same animal.
The Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) also called the giant deer or Irish deer, is an extinct species of deer in the genus Megaloceros and is one of the largest deer that ever lived. A fisherman named Felix Conlon also found a set of skull and antlers there in 1987.These deer lived in Ireland when the weather was suitable on the grass plains, but years later, forests began to grow, Mike Simms, a paleontologist at the Ulster Museum, told BelfastLive.Unfortunately for the large beasts, “giant antlers aren’t great in the forest,” Simms said. The Irish journalist noted that the skull is about eight feet long.In 2014, the jaw portion of a Giant Irish Elk was found in the same lake, and now some wonder if the two sets of bones are from the same animal.Dr. Their native range included Europe and northern Asia – from Ireland in the west to as far as Lake Baikal in the east. “Environmental change is what caused their extinction.”The Irish elk also has another claim to fame, according to the Smithsonian.
Wikimedia Commons Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, where the fishermen found the Irish elk …
The remains of the Great Elk was one of the animals used by French scientist Georges Cuvier to show that extinction did in fact take place.”Skeleton on display with antlers spanning 2.7 m (8.9 ft) and a mass of 40 kg (88 lb). Irish elk were thought to have been wiped out during the Ice Age 4 43-year-old chimpanzee called Mandy cradles her newborn baby after giving birth...Aviation accounts for 3.5% of human's impact on global warming, according to study that found airplanes...Indus Valley Civilisation was wiped out by climate change 3,300 years ago as rising temperatures caused less...Site in Mexico City is dubbed 'mammoth central' after 200 skeletons are found World's oceans soak up 900 million tonnes of CO2 a year MORE than previously thought - the amount emitted...Inequality in the workplace reduces employees' motivation - even among those who stand to benefit from...Money can't buy empathy! McElroy hopes the skull will end up where people are able to look at the magnificent specimen.Become a Friend of IrishCentral - help us to continue bringing Ireland to youCoronavirus live updates: Health warning for Dublin as cases riseIrish authors and writers you should know from James Joyce to Oscar WildeThe Irish influences in Obama's favorite books and movies of 2019How the Molly Maguires fought America’s first labor war WIN a subscription for a delicious Irish artisan food boxCoronavirus live updates: Health warning for Dublin as cases riseBurger King releases Guinness Whopper in South KoreaIrish dog breaks Ireland puppy record and it’s adorable© Copyright 2020 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved.Irish fisherman Raymond McElroy snags the skull of an extinct Giant Irish Elk.
Also known as the ‘giant deer’ and most closely related to the fallow deer, the Irish Elk is named mostly for its massive size.It is not as closely related to the European elk (moose) or the North American elk (wapiti). Originally discovered in bog deposits in Ireland, the Irish elk, or Things might have gotten pretty wild back in the day. Its range extended across Eurasia during the Pleistocene, from Ireland to Siberia to China.A related form is recorded in China during the Late Pleistocene. Environmental changes caused their extinction around 10,500 to 11,000 years ago.