[ Giant Rodent ] [ Deer ] [ GIANTS-1 ]

Skull of giant deer found 

The Irish Times 
October 17, 2000 

SECTION: CITY EDITION; HOME NEWS; Pg. 3 



HEADLINE: Skull of giant deer found 

BYLINE: By THERESA JUDGE, North West Correspondent 

BODY: 
Archaeologists have discovered an antlered skull of a giant deer dating from Ireland's dinosaur era in Co Donegal. 

The Giant Irish Deer, which stood two metres high at the shoulders, is thought to have died out some 10,500 years ago. This is the first evidence of the animal in Donegal. 

Mr Declan Moore of Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd said the remains were found five metres underground at Mountcharles, on the route of a new bypass road. 

"It was recovered from a layer of sand which underlaid a thick deposit of peat. 

"The sand probably represents an ancient lake sediment, and contains inclusions of freshwater molluscs," he said. 

Mr Moore added that the find presented an opportunity to learn more about the creatures, which had antlers weighing up to 35 kilos with a span of 3.5 metres. 

"This is an animal who roamed about Ireland long before humans got here. 

"This is a dinosaur artefact, one of Ireland's great creatures," he said. 

The specimen found at Mountcharles is of a skull and the stem of its antlers, which have a span of 1.6 metres. 

Fragments of the remainder of the antlers were also found. 

Large herds of the Giant Irish Deer, Megaloceros giganteus, are thought to have ranged throughout the plains of Ireland before climate change led to a deterioration in the grasslands about 10,500 years ago. 

"Only two such finds were ever made in Sligo and there have been a few in Northern Ireland. This animal, either alone or in a herd, may have made his way along a good stretch of land from Ballyshannon to Killybegs, but generally they would not have been able to cross the mountains into Donegal," Mr Moore said. 

Donegal County Council and the National Roads Authority fund the archaeological monitoring. 

CORRECTION-DATE: October 18, 2000 

CORRECTION: Mr Declan Moore of Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd wishes to clarify that the skull of the giant deer found recently in Co Donegal was between 10,000 and 30,000 years old. He was quoted in yesterday's report as saying it was a "dinosaur artefact" but he did not intend this to be taken literally. 

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