This is the Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) which, for what it’s worth, was neither confined to Ireland nor was an elk, being more closely related to the fallow deer. I started with Breyer’s elk model, and repositioned the neck to a more realistic pose for a bugling bull. I also resculpted the tail and back end since it’s unlikely that Megaloceros had the same hair pattern as an American elk. The antlers are completely sculpted from scratch, using the repositioned elk antlers (and a bit of wire for a missing section) as armature; I used a 3D printed Megaloceros skull from PaleoSculpture on eBay as a three-dimensional reference to make sure I got the angles on all those tines correct. And he’s been given hair texture all over, except for his paintings.
The cave paintings on his sides are reproductions of Megaloceros paintings from Chauvet Cave (right) and Grotte de Cougnac (left). His overall coloration is based on markings shown on these and other paintings, as well as interpretations by the Walking With Prehistoric Beasts documentary and art by Mark Witton informed by R.D. Guthrie, among others. There is a hump underneath the fur on his shoulders, another feature shown by the artists who observed these animals in their daily lives.
Measurements: 11″ x 9″ x 6 1/2″
