Stag-moose

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 Pleistocene epoch. It is the only known North American member of the genus Cervalces.

Description

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 Megafaunas such as the woolly mammoth, ground sloth, long horn bison, and saber toothed cat. The species went 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.