Sardinian deer

Sardinian deer (Praemegaceros cazioti (†Praemegaceros (Portis, 1920))

Synonyms: Praemegaceros sardous

 

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Cervidae

Temporal range: Endemic to Sardinia from the late Middle Pleistocene to the Early Holocene

Dimensions: length - 1.5 m, height - 90 -100 сm, weight - 60-130 kg.

 

 

Praemegaceros cazioti was widespread on both Sardinia and Corsica from Middle-Late Pleistocene to Holocene, and its remains are very common. Endemic to Mediterranean islands, the ancestor of P. cazioti appears to have dispersed to Sardinia during the Middle Pleistocene, with the earliest well dated records of Praemegaceros at Su Fossu de Cannas in Sardinia being over 450 kya in age. The Sardinian deer sometimes classified within the mainland genus Megaloceros, however, genetic studies prove a more distant relation than initially thought. Early remains of the genus in Sardinia are referred to the species P. sardus/sardous. P. cazioti is smaller than these ancestors, being slightly larger than a fallow deer. The cranial morphology appears and magnificent antlers to be unaffected by the insular dwarfism. Just like other deer, the females lived in herds while males were more solitary.