Stag-moose
| Stag-moose Temporal range: Pleistocene–0.011 |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Skeleton in Royal Ontario Museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | Capreolinae |
| Genus: |
†Cervalces Scott, 1885 |
| Species: | †C. scotti |
| Binomial name | |
|
Cervalces scotti |
|
The stag-moose (Cervalces scotti) was a large moose, with a muzzle more closely resembling that of a typical deer, of North America during the epoch. It is the only known North American member of the genus Cervalces.
It was slightly larger than the moose, with an elk-like head, long legs, and complex, palmate antlers. Cervalces scotti reached 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in height and a weight of 708.5 kg (1,562 lb). The stag-moose resided in North America during an era with other Megafauna such as the woolly mammoth, ground sloth, long horn bison, and saber toothed cat. The species became extinct approximately 11,500 years ago, toward the end of the most recent ice age, as part of a mass extinction of large North American mammals.
The first evidence of the stag-moose found in modern times was discovered at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky by William Clark, circa 1805. A more complete skeleton was found in 1885 by William Barryman Scott in New Jersey. Mummified remains have also been found.
The ancestor of the stag-moose is believed to have evolved in the Eurasian continent. The stag-moose or Cervalces scotti is believed to be related to the Cervalces latifrons, another similar species that became extinct around the same time as the stag-moose. The stag-moose is thought to have fulfilled a similar niche to a modern-day moose. The stag-moose frequented wetlands, as well as woodlands and forests and inhabited by creatures such as the woodland musk-ox, and the giant beaver. in a range from southern Canada to Arkansas and from Iowa to New Jersey. Just like its modern-day counterpart, the stag moose is a herbivore with a diet of vegetation and plants. The stag moose and the modern day moose shared common predators. Some possible main predators of the stag moose consisted of the grey wolf, the dire wolf, and the brown bear. Often, the brown bear would hunt the calves and/or weakened adult stag-moose rather than going after the healthy adults. Another possible predator of the stag-moose is the American lion which had a preference in deer like animals. Near the conclusion of the Pleistocene period, humans began hunting the Cervalces scotti as a source of meat. As the glaciers retreated, moose (which had crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia) may have populated its habitat and caused its extinction by competition. Although there is no paleontological evidence that it was associated with humans, other theories for its extinction have been proposed. Notably, there is speculation that hunting by newly arrived humans caused the extinction of the stag-moose and other large mammals. Additionally, some have proposed a sudden extinction by disease, brought by small mammals in association with humans. The oldest known fossil of the stag-moose was found in the bed of the Skunk River in Iowa, with the specimen dating back approximately 30,000 years ago. The area in which the fossil was found and the date implies that the stag-moose lived before a massive ice sheet covered the area in which it inhabited, which could also be a possible cause of its extinction. Since the stag-moose resides in a woodland habitat, climate change and loss of natural pastures also could have played a role in its extinction.
...
Wikipedia