These giant deer remains were discovered on a beach on the Isle of Man.
Note: Post originally published in March, 2018.
When archaeologists caught wind that possible bones from an extinct giant deer lay beneath the surface of strata at the beach they didn't hesitate. Luckily, people walking on the Kirk Michael shoreline spotted the bones and reported the rare discovery. Wind and rain eventually eroded the rock enough exposing the buried bones.
The deer boasts antlers approximately six and half feet wide. Almost the same size as your modern day moose if not bigger. Similar displays of the deer bones were discovered in 1897 and are now on display at the Manx Museum.
That deer contained an antler span of eight and half and was found on St. Johns.
The giant deer is commonly referred to as an Irish elk. Likewise, they typically stood seven feet tall and contain antler spans of 14 feet wide.
The giant deer or Megaloceros giganteus lived across Europe, North Africa and Asia. However, the deer is thought to have gone extinct over 7,000 year ago. Several parts of remains were found in Ireland, however, archaeologist Andy Johnson said, "It's the first time I've seen such a complete set of remains in the ground."
Manx National Heritage natural history curator, Laura McCoy, said "We were also conscious that a find like this might quickly attract souvenir hunters."
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NEXT: THE IRISH ELK: WHAT IS THIS BEAST, AND WHEN AND WHERE DID IT LIVE?
