''Megaloceros'' (from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: + , literally "Great Horn"; see also Lister (1987)) is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

whose members lived throughout

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

from the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

to the early

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

and only undisputed member of the genus, ''

Megaloceros giganteus 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. Its range extended across northern Eurasia during the ...

'', vernacularly known as the "Irish elk" or "giant deer", is also the best known.

Fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

are thought to be their closest living relatives. ''Megaloceros'' has been suggested to be closely related to other genera of "giant deer", like the East Asian genus ''

Sinomegaceros ''Sinomegaceros'' is an extinct genus of deer known from the Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene of Central and East Asia. It is considered to be part of the group of "giant deer" (often referred to collectively as members of the ...

,'' and the European ''

Praemegaceros ''Praemegaceros'' is an extinct genus of deer, known from the Pleistocene and Holocene of Western Eurasia. ''Praemegaceros'' is considered to be a genus of "giant deer", with many species having an estimated body mass of around , considerably lar ...

''.

Nomenclatural history

'' was originally described in 1799 as ''Alce gigantea'' by

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (11 May 1752 – 22 January 1840) was a German physician, naturalist, physiologist and anthropologist. He is considered to be a main founder of zoology and anthropology as comparative, scientific disciplines. He has be ...

based on specimens found in Ireland. With ''Alce'' being a variant of the genus ''

Alces ''Alces'' is a genus of artiodactyl mammals, that includes the largest species of the deer family. There are two species in genus: the moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces al ...

'' used for elk/moose.''Blumenbach J. 1799.
Handbuch der Naturgeschichte
' (6th Ed.) 16: 697'' In 1827

Joshua Brookes Joshua Brookes (24 November 1761 – 10 January 1833) was a British anatomist and naturalist. Early life Brookes studied under William Hunter, William Hewson, Andrew Marshall, and John Sheldon, in London. He then attended the practice of A ...

, in a listing of his zoological collection, named the ''Megaloceros'' (spelled ''Megalocerus'' in the earlier editions) in the following passage:Lister, A M, 198
''Megaloceros'' Brookes 1828 Mammalia Artiodactyla Proposed Emendation Of The Original Spelling
''The Bulletin of zoological nomenclature''. 44 255–256The etymology being from

: "great" + "horn, antler". The type and only species named in the description being ''Megaloceros antiquorum'', based on Irish remains now considered to belong to ''M. giganteus'', making the former a

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

. The original description was considered by Adrian Lister in 1987 to be inadequate for a taxonomic definition. In 1828 Brookes published an expanded list in the form of a catalogue for an upcoming auction, which included the Latin phrase "''Cornibus deciduis palmatis"'' ("

palmate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

horns") as a description of the remains. The 1828 publication was approved by

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

(ICZN) in 1977 as an available publication for the basis of zoological nomenclature. Adrian Lister in 1987 judged that "the phase "''Cornibus deciduis palmatis"'' constitutes a definition sufficient under the /nowiki>International Code of Zoological Nomenclature">International Code of Zoological Nomenclature">/nowiki>International Code of Zoological Nomenclature(article 12) to validate ''Megalocerus''." The original spelling of ''Megalocerus'' was never used after its original publication. In 1844 Richard Owen named another synonym of the Irish elk, including it within the newly named subgenus ''Megaceros'', ''Cervus'' (''Megaceros'') ''hibernicus''. This has been suggested to be derived from another junior synonym of the Irish elk described by J. Hart in 1825, ''Cervus megaceros''. Despite being a junior synonym, ''Megaloceros'' remained in obscurity and ''Megaceros'' became the common genus name for the taxon. The combination "''Megaceros giganteus"'' was in use by 1871.

George Gaylord Simpson George Gaylord Simpson (June 16, 1902 – October 6, 1984) was an American paleontologist. Simpson was perhaps the most influential paleontologist of the twentieth century, and a major participant in the modern synthesis, contributing '' Tempo ...

in 1945 revived the original ''Megaloceros'' name, which became progressively more widely used, until a taxonomic decision in 1989 by the ICZN confirmed the priority of ''Megaloceros'' over ''Megaceros'', and ''Megaloceros'' to be the correct spelling.

Taxonomic composition

Other than the type species ''

'', the composition of the genus is contested.'''' While considered to be part of the genus ''Megaloceros'' by many authors, ''M. savini'' and related taxa (''novocarthaginiensis'' and ''matritensis)'' are split into the separate genus ''Praedama'' by some scholars.'''' The genus ''Megaloceros'' is widely agreed to belong the subfamily

Cervinae The Cervinae or the Old World deer, are a subfamily of deer. Alternatively, they are known as the plesiometacarpal deer, due to having lost the parts of the second and fifth metacarpal bones closest to the foot (though retaining the parts away fr ...

. ''Megaloceros'' has often been placed in the tribe Megacerini, alongside other "giant deer" genera like ''

'' and ''

,'' though the taxonomy regarding giant deer as whole is uncertain and contested.'''' A close relationship with ''Sinomegaceros'' has been supported by

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondrion, mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the D ...

, which found that the mitochondrial sequences of ''M. giganteus'' are nested within those of ''Sinomegaceros'', suggesting that the two lineages interbred with each other after the initial split between them, with all mitochondrial genomes of ''Sinomegaceros'' more closely related to those of ''M. giganteus'' than to their closest living relative '' Dama''. Relationships of ''Megaloceros'' mitochondrial genomes, after Xiao et al. 2023. Megaloceros antler

Species

Species ordered from oldest to youngest: ;''M. novocarthaginiensis'' : Described from the latest Early Pleistocene 0.9-0.8 Ma of Cueva Victoria in Spain. Known from antlers, teeth and postcranial material. Related and possibly ancestral to ''M. savini'' ;''M. savini'' :Middle Pleistocene European species'''', with a temporal range spanning approximately 750-450,000 years ago, slightly larger than a caribou/reindeer, first fossils found near Sainte Savine,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and near

Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populatio ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Its antlers were straight, with thornlike prongs. The lowermost prongs near the base were palmate. Has been suggested to comprise the separate genus ''Praedama.'' :It is suggested to have been a mixed feeder or grazer. ;''M. matritensis'' :Mid-Pleistocene species, lived around 400-300,000 years ago near present-day Madrid, Spain, being contemporary with ''M. giganteus''. The species had enlarged premolars, very thick molar enamel, and a low mandibular condyle. The species itself formed part of the diet of people which lived in the area. ''M. matritensis'' fossils are found associated to stone tools of late

Acheulean Acheulean (; also Acheulian and Mode II), from the French after the type site of Saint-Acheul, is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped "hand axes" associated with ''Homo ...

and early

Mousterian The Mousterian (or Mode III) is an Industry (archaeology), archaeological industry of Lithic technology, stone tools, associated primarily with the Neanderthals in Europe, and with the earliest anatomically modern humans in North Africa and We ...

type. The species is thought to be descended from ''M. savini'' ;'' M. giganteus'' :Largest, best known, and among the last species of the genus that stands about at the shoulders. Lived throughout

, from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

to Siberia during the late Middle Pleistocene to early Holocene. ''

Megaceroides algericus ''Megaceroides algericus'' is an extinct species of deer known from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene of North Africa. It is one of only two species of deer known to have been native to the African continent, alongside the Barbary stag, a subs ...

'' from the Late Pleistocene to Holocene of North Africa has been considered to be closely related and possibly derived from ''Megaloceros'' by some authors. ''"M". stravpolensis'' from the Early Pleistocene of Southwestern Russia has been subsequently suggested to belong to '' Arvernoceros''. The species "''Megaloceros" cretensis'' from the island of Crete has been moved to the genus ''

Candiacervus ''Candiacervus'' is an extinct genus of deer native to Pleistocene Crete. Due to a lack of other herbivores, the genus underwent an adaptive radiation, filling niches occupied by other taxa on the mainland. Due to the small size of Crete, some ...

''.

Nomenclatural history

Taxonomic composition

Species

References

Further reading