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Description
Megaloceros giganteus

An icon of the ice age and paleontology in general, Megaloceros giganteus, also known as the Irish Elk or Giant Deer, is a creature that needs no introduction. Among the largest of all cervines, with sprawling antlers, this was a staple of ice age Europe's steppes.

History and Discovery:

In 1695, Irish physician Thomas Molyneux described a pair of massive antlers found in a peat bog near Dardistown in Dublin. He attributed them to elk (AKA moose in America). He thought that this creature was once abundant in the British Isles. Over a century later in 1799, German naturalist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach dubbed it "Alce gigantea" a species of moose. However, 13 years later in 1812, famed zoologist Georges Cuvier also known as "the father of paleontology" identified the antlers as belonging to an animal that was not alive anymore. It would not be until 1827 anatomist Joshua Brookes gave it the name, "Megaloceros antiquorum". The genus name derived from the Greek words "megalos" meaning great and "keras" meaning horn. The specific name that Brookes gave "antiquorum" means "ancient" in Latin. In 1845, the infamous Sir Richard Owen came up with another name for this great deer, simplifying the genus name and calling it "Megaceros giganteus". And the name stuck until 1945 when American paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson and recognized Megaloceros as the original name for the animal, and thus, it had priority. Over the years, the simplified name became used less and less frequently and now most paleontologists recognize Megaloceros giganteus as the proper name for this animal and the type species for the genus itself.

Taxonomy:

The genus Megaloceros existed throughout the Pleistocene from around 1,200,000 years ago to as recently as 7,700 years ago. Various paleontologists have proposed other giant deer across Eurasia, and even into Africa and Japan like Sinomegaceros, Megaceroides, and Praemegaceros should be included. Today the general consensus is the genus Megaloceros includes 6 species altogether. The last species, Megaloceros giganteus being the largest and most well-known.

Range:

Although commonly called the "Irish Elk", the name is somewhat misleading. While many specimens have been found across Ireland, fossils of this great cervine have been found in Ireland and as far east as northern Spain, across France, Germany Poland, and into central Russia. Furthermore, it is not related to Elk be it the American Wapiti or European term for Moose. However, it should be noted, higher concentrations of Irish elk have been found in Irish Bogs than elsewhere on the European mainland and into Russia.

Relations:

Many paleontologists assumed that the Irish elk's closest cousin is the fallow deer of Europe. Morphologically, it makes sense, both have palmated antlers, a short snout, but a relatively long braincase. DNA studies from 2005 found this to be the opposite case when it was found that mitochondrial DNA extracted from 4 antlers and a bone indicates that they're related to modern-day red deer, suggesting these animals interbred sometime in the Pleistocene. But the following year, another study involving the DNA of these deer found they were actually related to the fallow deer. This was backed up by studies from 2015 using the full mitochondrial genome and in 2017, it was assumed that the relationship between red deer in 2005 was due to DNA contamination.

Description:

In terms of size, they were roughly the same size as modern-day Alaskan moose. Up to 6ft tall at the shoulder with record specimens nearing 7ft. On average, both sexes surpass 1000lbs with massive males reaching over 1300-1500lbs. And of course, their massive antlers are what really sets them apart from other deer. Each one can be as long as a person up, weigh up to 88lbs apiece, and they can have an antler span of 10-12ft wide. Much like modern deer, it's believed that they used those antlers for display and intraspecific combat between rival males during rutting season sometime in the late summer and into autumn.
Their legs were similar in proportion to more cursorially-oriented animals. Canadian biologist Valerius Geist hypothesized this would have enabled the Irish Elk to run very fast and over long distances. The top speed is estimated to be 40-50mph and they would have been able to hold that speed for 15 minutes or more.
Like many animals that lived in ice age Eurasia, cave paintings have recorded what these animals may have looked like in the flesh. Most pieces of cave art show it had a prominent hump, perhaps an area where muscles anchored and allowed it to hold its head up with those massive antlers. The color appears to have been overall light in coloration with most paintings depicting a prominent blotch of darkness concentrated on their hump and would streak down in a crescent-shape down to the belly. Some pieces of cave art show males with prominent masses of hair running from mid-way on the head and down the neck. The antlers in various paintings such as in Lascaux are often exaggerated by the artist and given their size, it's understandable why.
Their habitat would have been near the outskirts of the mammoth steppe, near areas with more woodland rather than the open plains of mammoth steppe itself. Studies of their teeth indicate that their diet would have been primarily grazers, but could have supplemented their diet with various browse such as deciduous trees and spruce. It explains why fossils have not been found as often in the open steppes. Sticking to the forested areas would have had more plentiful plants and grasses for them to feed off of.

Extinction:

These magnificent deer much like many Pleistocene megafauna vanished, however, recent evidence suggests they persisted longer than others. Fossils from Western Siberia have been dated to around 5700 B.C.E. These animals were extirpated from much of Eurasia, but they persisted in areas where there was less human presence in Northern Siberia. However, this could not prevent them from going extinct.
One early theory posited that these animals died out because once they lost their antlers, there would still be excess blood flowing into their brains, and the blood flow would cause them to have seizures or strokes. This is now believed to be false as it predates the theory of evolution. All deer antlers grow allometrically (in relation to body size) to the deer's body size.
However, the antlers themselves still would have been somewhat of a problem. During rutting season, males would need to eat a lot more nutrient-rich foliage in order to sustain their massive growth. The massive climatic changes in the Late Pleistocene and into the Holocene made the mammoth steppe dwindle in size. In its place, came taiga environments, and it's believed that the shrinking habitat due to climate change caused their numbers to drastically decrease. Finally, humans had reached the most remote parts of Siberia around this time, and their predation of these deer might have been the final push over the edge some 7,700 years ago.

Now, all that remains of these magnificent creatures are the magnificent skeletons that are staples of ice age museum displays across the globe as well as the paintings that our ancestors have left for us in caves across Europe.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Another icon of the ice age, and I really wanted to write a profile on this magnificent creature after I watched a PBS Eons video on them.

The models and skin are from Ulquiorra and are unmodified.

Will they be in Past Meets Present? Obviously yes. They're staples of ice age Eurasia and I'd be stupid to not include them. As far scenes involving them, that remains to be seen.

Irish Elk skin and model by Ulquiorra:
Megaloceros (Ulquiorra) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

For Past Meets Present:
Past Meets Present (Pt4 is Up) - The ZT2 Round Table

Description
Megaloceros giganteus

An icon of the ice age and paleontology in general, Megaloceros giganteus, also known as the Irish Elk or Giant Deer, is a creature that needs no introduction. Among the largest of all cervines, with sprawling antlers, this was a staple of ice age Europe's steppes.

History and Discovery:

In 1695, Irish physician Thomas Molyneux described a pair of massive antlers found in a peat bog near Dardistown in Dublin. He attributed them to elk (AKA moose in America). He thought that this creature was once abundant in the British Isles. Over a century later in 1799, German naturalist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach dubbed it "Alce gigantea" a species of moose. However, 13 years later in 1812, famed zoologist Georges Cuvier also known as "the father of paleontology" identified the antlers as belonging to an animal that was not alive anymore. It would not be until 1827 anatomist Joshua Brookes gave it the name, "Megaloceros antiquorum". The genus name derived from the Greek words "megalos" meaning great and "keras" meaning horn. The specific name that Brookes gave "antiquorum" means "ancient" in Latin. In 1845, the infamous Sir Richard Owen came up with another name for this great deer, simplifying the genus name and calling it "Megaceros giganteus". And the name stuck until 1945 when American paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson and recognized Megaloceros as the original name for the animal, and thus, it had priority. Over the years, the simplified name became used less and less frequently and now most paleontologists recognize Megaloceros giganteus as the proper name for this animal and the type species for the genus itself.

Taxonomy:

The genus Megaloceros existed throughout the Pleistocene from around 1,200,000 years ago to as recently as 7,700 years ago. Various paleontologists have proposed other giant deer across Eurasia, and even into Africa and Japan like Sinomegaceros, Megaceroides, and Praemegaceros should be included. Today the general consensus is the genus Megaloceros includes 6 species altogether. The last species, Megaloceros giganteus being the largest and most well-known.

Range:

Although commonly called the "Irish Elk", the name is somewhat misleading. While many specimens have been found across Ireland, fossils of this great cervine have been found in Ireland and as far east as northern Spain, across France, Germany Poland, and into central Russia. Furthermore, it is not related to Elk be it the American Wapiti or European term for Moose. However, it should be noted, higher concentrations of Irish elk have been found in Irish Bogs than elsewhere on the European mainland and into Russia.

Relations:

Many paleontologists assumed that the Irish elk's closest cousin is the fallow deer of Europe. Morphologically, it makes sense, both have palmated antlers, a short snout, but a relatively long braincase. DNA studies from 2005 found this to be the opposite case when it was found that mitochondrial DNA extracted from 4 antlers and a bone indicates that they're related to modern-day red deer, suggesting these animals interbred sometime in the Pleistocene. But the following year, another study involving the DNA of these deer found they were actually related to the fallow deer. This was backed up by studies from 2015 using the full mitochondrial genome and in 2017, it was assumed that the relationship between red deer in 2005 was due to DNA contamination.

Description:

In terms of size, they were roughly the same size as modern-day Alaskan moose. Up to 6ft tall at the shoulder with record specimens nearing 7ft. On average, both sexes surpass 1000lbs with massive males reaching over 1300-1500lbs. And of course, their massive antlers are what really sets them apart from other deer. Each one can be as long as a person up, weigh up to 88lbs apiece, and they can have an antler span of 10-12ft wide. Much like modern deer, it's believed that they used those antlers for display and intraspecific combat between rival males during rutting season sometime in the late summer and into autumn.
Their legs were similar in proportion to more cursorially-oriented animals. Canadian biologist Valerius Geist hypothesized this would have enabled the Irish Elk to run very fast and over long distances. The top speed is estimated to be 40-50mph and they would have been able to hold that speed for 15 minutes or more.
Like many animals that lived in ice age Eurasia, cave paintings have recorded what these animals may have looked like in the flesh. Most pieces of cave art show it had a prominent hump, perhaps an area where muscles anchored and allowed it to hold its head up with those massive antlers. The color appears to have been overall light in coloration with most paintings depicting a prominent blotch of darkness concentrated on their hump and would streak down in a crescent-shape down to the belly. Some pieces of cave art show males with prominent masses of hair running from mid-way on the head and down the neck. The antlers in various paintings such as in Lascaux are often exaggerated by the artist and given their size, it's understandable why.
Their habitat would have been near the outskirts of the mammoth steppe, near areas with more woodland rather than the open plains of mammoth steppe itself. Studies of their teeth indicate that their diet would have been primarily grazers, but could have supplemented their diet with various browse such as deciduous trees and spruce. It explains why fossils have not been found as often in the open steppes. Sticking to the forested areas would have had more plentiful plants and grasses for them to feed off of.

Extinction:

These magnificent deer much like many Pleistocene megafauna vanished, however, recent evidence suggests they persisted longer than others. Fossils from Western Siberia have been dated to around 5700 B.C.E. These animals were extirpated from much of Eurasia, but they persisted in areas where there was less human presence in Northern Siberia. However, this could not prevent them from going extinct.
One early theory posited that these animals died out because once they lost their antlers, there would still be excess blood flowing into their brains, and the blood flow would cause them to have seizures or strokes. This is now believed to be false as it predates the theory of evolution. All deer antlers grow allometrically (in relation to body size) to the deer's body size.
However, the antlers themselves still would have been somewhat of a problem. During rutting season, males would need to eat a lot more nutrient-rich foliage in order to sustain their massive growth. The massive climatic changes in the Late Pleistocene and into the Holocene made the mammoth steppe dwindle in size. In its place, came taiga environments, and it's believed that the shrinking habitat due to climate change caused their numbers to drastically decrease. Finally, humans had reached the most remote parts of Siberia around this time, and their predation of these deer might have been the final push over the edge some 7,700 years ago.

Now, all that remains of these magnificent creatures are the magnificent skeletons that are staples of ice age museum displays across the globe as well as the paintings that our ancestors have left for us in caves across Europe.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Another icon of the ice age, and I really wanted to write a profile on this magnificent creature after I watched a PBS Eons video on them.

The models and skin are from Ulquiorra and are unmodified.

Will they be in Past Meets Present? Obviously yes. They're staples of ice age Eurasia and I'd be stupid to not include them. As far scenes involving them, that remains to be seen.

Irish Elk skin and model by Ulquiorra:
Megaloceros (Ulquiorra) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

For Past Meets Present:
Past Meets Present (Pt4 is Up) - The ZT2 Round Table