Libralces (SciiFii)

Libralces was a genus of Eurasian deer that lived during the Pliocene period. Its main claim to fame are its 2+ meter wide antlers, comparable in size to those of Megaloceros.

Libralces fossils have been found from France to Tajikistan,[1] with the best-known examples being the French L. gallicus.

According to Jordi Agustí, Libralces was the ancestor of Megaloceros, though most other authorities regard it as a relative of moose, Alces.

In the Pleistocene, there were three genera of Holarctic moose-like deer — Cervalces, Alces, and Libralces. In contrast to modern Alces, the VillafranchianLibralces gallicus had very long-beamed, small-palmed antlers and a generalized skull with moderately reduced nasals; the Nearctic Cervalces had longer nasals and more complex antlers than Libralces. Azzaroli 1953 added Alces latiforns to Libralces, but this position has been challenged.[2]