Megaloceros
Extinct genus of deer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Megaloceros (from Greek: μεγαλος megalos + κερας keras, literally "Great Horn"; see also Lister (1987)) is an extinct genus of deer whose members lived throughout Eurasia from the Pleistocene to the early Holocene. The type and only undisputed member of the genus, Megaloceros giganteus, vernacularly known as the "Irish elk" or "giant deer", is also the best known. Fallow deer are thought to be their closest living relatives.[1][2][3] Megaloceros is thought to be closely related to the East Asian genus Sinomegaceros, as well as possibly other extinct genera of "giant deer".
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Species ...
Megaloceros | |
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Skeleton of Megaloceros giganteus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Cervidae |
Subfamily: | Cervinae |
Tribe: | Cervini |
Genus: | †Megaloceros Brookes, 1828 |
Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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