The Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus)

[Spalea]

@epaiva :

A Z. Burian's illustration of this prodigious animal:

*This image is copyright of its original author

Translation:

"Like a lot of groups of the Pleistocene animals, the deers manifested a tendancy to generate some gigantics species. The giant deer, Megaloceros antiqueus (we see here) appeared in the ancient world. It was an huge beast and the wingspan of its antiers could exceed 4 meters. As the webbed form of its antiers looked like to the the extant elks and fallow deer ones, they were considered a certain time, wrongfully, as a giant form of one of these species. They grazed the grass and the bushes of the open plains and, probably, avoided the forests where their antiers would have them considerably bothered". Reply