![]() The 'Great Irish Elk' is referred to in Seamus Heaney's poem Bogland.ĭr Simms urged anyone with an interest in the large animals that once roamed Ireland to attend the Ulster Museum's Dippy exhibition, which begins on September 28. The fossil now hangs in the foyer of the Elk Complex, a landmark venue located on the main Belfast to Derry road. ![]() The recent discovery is similar to one made at nearby Lough Beg in 1953 when a complete set of antlers was also recovered. He said that the animals died became extinct due to environmental reasons as wide grassy plains were replaced by forests after the last ice age. Senior curator of natural sciences at the Ulster Museum Dr Mike Simms said the huge animal was not exclusive to Ireland and was found across northern Europe and as far away as western China. The Irish Elk, also known as the Irish Giant Deer, is believed to have died out in Ireland around 10,000 years ago. It is understood that the jaw of a similar animal was found in the same area by fishermen in 2014, which a former curator at the Ulster Museum later said was at least 14,000 years old. "If it went to a museum people could look at it." "I would like to see it going to a museum," he said. He revealed he has already been offered money for the fossil. Mr McElroy said he has "never seen the likes of this before". The elk was constructed from hundreds of branches of twisted, turned and woven wood to form his muscular body and the enormous rack of antlers. "The other fella said, 'that's the devil, throw it out'," he said. "I thought it was black oak and then we got an antler in and saw the skull. "We wrestled with it for five or 10 minutes and it rose up to the side of the boat. DescriptionIrish Elk Antlers (28418902207).jpg, Irish Elk Antlers Date, 1 July 2018, 14:41 Source, Irish Elk Antlers Author, Eden, Janine and Jim from New. "We thought it was a lump of a tree," he said. Mr McElroy last night said he initially thought he had caught a lump of drift wood. Moryn, Poland - July 13, 2017: Model of Megaloceros giganteus - Irish elk prehistoric Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) or giant deer skull and antlers black. The fossil was found in an area of the lough between the Co Derry village of Ballyronan and Salterstown Castle while Mr McElroy and another local man Charlie Coyle were lifting Pollan nets. He said the antlers span of around eight feet from tip to tip. The rare discovery was made on Wednesday after the fossil was snagged by Raymond McElroy, who is from Ardboe in Co Tyrone. THE skull and antlers of an extinct Irish Elk have been pulled from Lough Neagh after getting caught up in a fisherman's nets.
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