Fisherman finds skull and antlers of extinct elk
Digital Reporter
Thursday, September 6, 2018, 5:11 PM - When Irish fishermen Raymond McElroy and Charlie Coyle came across a solid mass in a lake on September 6, they thought it was a large black oak.
When they pulled it out of the water, they quickly realized it was something far more exotic.
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It turns out they had found the ancient antlers and skull of an extinct great Irish elk.
The discovery was made in Northern Ireland's Toome Bay.
According to Irish media, the animal remains are more than 10,500 years old. The Irish elk was native to northern Europe and what is now Russia. It died out about 7,000 years ago.
It was the largest deer species ever recorded, standing up to 2 metres at the shoulder and an antler spread that could more than double that.
