Ireland was once home to deer with massive 12-foot antlers

Megaloceros giganteus was an Ice Age wonder.

BY LAURA BAISAS | PUBLISHED MAR 16, 2024 2:00 PM EDT



Commonly called the ‘Irish elk,” these deer weighed upwards of 1,500 pounds. This specimen is currently housed at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. Paolo Viscardi, CC BY-SA 4.0


Ireland may not be home to any snakes, but the island’s actual natural past and present is still bustling with other wildlife. It’s currently home to 40 species of land and marine mammals, 12,000 species of insects, and more than 400 bird species. Fearsome wolves used to roam the forests of Ireland, before being hunted into extinction by 1786 These wolves were likely a primary predator of one of the larger players of Irish natural history–the extinct giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), more commonly known as the Irish elk.

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