lotrlockedwhovian:

bellechere:

A reminder that Thranduil’s mount used to actually exist.

Irish Elk

“The Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus)^[1][2] is an extinct species of deer in the genus Megaloceros and is one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its range extended across Eurasia, from Ireland to northern Asia and Africa. A related form is recorded from China during the Late Pleistocene.^[3] The most recent remains of the species have been carbon dated to about 7,700 years ago in Siberia.^[4] […] The Irish Elk stood about 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) tall at the shoulders carrying the largest antlers of any known cervid (a maximum of 3.65 m (12.0 ft) from tip to tip and weighing up to 40 kg (88 lb)). In body size, the Irish Elk matched the extant moose subspecies of Alaska (Alces alces gigas) as the largest known deer. The Irish Elk is estimated to have attained a total mass of 540–600 kg (1,190–1,320 lb), with large specimens having weighed 700 kg (1,500 lb) or more, roughly similar to the Alaskan Moose.^[16][17][18] A significant collection of M. giganteus skeletons can be found at the Natural History Museum in Dublin.”

Photo taken by me, in the Natural History Museum of Dublin, summer of 2013.

TODAY I HAVE LEARNED

ALL HAIL THE SWAG STAG