Broad-Fronted Giant Moose
Cervalces latifrons
🫎
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Cervidae
Cervalces
Cervalces latifrons
The largest deer ever known, carrying antlers wider than a car. This Pleistocene giant stood over 2 m at the shoulder and browsed near wetlands across Europe and Asia.
Description
Cervalces latifrons stood 200–250 cm high at the shoulder, weighed around 1 200 kg and wielded palmate antlers up to 2.5 m wide. Its long legs and narrow chest suggest adaptations for wading through swamps and snow, similar to modern moose. The species lived during the Early and Middle Pleistocene (0.7–0.4 Ma) and ranged from western Europe to Siberia.
Habitat reconstructions indicate it occupied tundra, steppe, coniferous forest and swampy environments; it likely fed on coarse vegetation near lakes and marshes and avoided dense deciduous forests that would hinder its vast antlers. Many researchers think it gave rise to the North‑American stag‑moose (Cervalces scotti) after populations crossed the Bering land bridge.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
1200
2.1
3.15
3
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Browsers
Hunt History
Because C. latifrons lived before anatomically modern humans reached Europe, direct evidence of hunting is lacking. Its coexistence with Homo heidelbergensis and early Neanderthals suggests that archaic humans may have scavenged carcasses or hunted calves opportunistically, but no kill sites have been identified. As climates warmed and forests expanded, the species disappeared, possibly replaced by its descendant C. scotti.
1. Cromer Forest Bed, East Anglia (~0.7 Ma) – the holotype skeleton of C. latifrons was discovered here, illustrating the species’ huge size and antlers.
2. Mauer and Mosbach, Germany – Early‑Pleistocene deposits yield numerous bones of this giant moose, indicating its presence in central Europe.
3. Ranica and Leffe, Italy – fossils from these Middle‑Pleistocene sites expand the species’ range to southern Europe and show its persistence into varied environments.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
10000
BP
Late Pleistocene
Europe
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
60
kg
Targeted Organs
Marrow, kidney fat
Adipose Depots
Seasonal backfat, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Long-bone marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4