THE IRISH ELK, Megaloceros gigantheus, was the greatest antlered animal to ever grace this wonderful blue planet. The bull had incredible antlers that sometimes grew in excess of 13 feet across. This great deer is called Irish because during the Paleolithic period, Ireland was isolated from Europe, and the conditions there allowed the animal to flourish in an almost predator-free environment. Also, the name “Irish” has stuck because excellent, well-preserved fossils of the giant deer are especially common in Ireland’s lake sediments and peat bogs .

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