Head to head: the case for fighting behaviour in Megaloceros giganteus using finite-element analysis

Author(s)
Klinkhamer, Ada J
Woodley, Nicholas
Neenan, James M
Parr, William C H
Clausen, Philip
Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R
Sansalone, Gabriele
Lister, Adrian M
Wroe, Stephen
Publication Date
2019-10-09
Abstract
The largest antlers of any known deer species belonged to the extinct giant deer <i>Megaloceros giganteus</i>. It has been argued that their antlers were too large for use in fighting, instead being used only in ritualized displays to attract mates. Here, we used finite-element analysis to test whether the antlers of <i>M. giganteus</i> could have withstood forces generated during fighting. We compared the mechanical performance of antlers in <i>M. giganteus</i> with three extant deer species: red deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>), fallow deer (<i>Dama dama</i>) and elk (<i>Alces alces</i>). Von Mises stress results suggest that <i>M. giganteus</i> was capable of withstanding some fighting loads, provided that their antlers interlocked proximally, and that their antlers were best adapted for withstanding loads from twisting rather than pushing actions, as are other deer with palmate antlers. We conclude that fighting in <i>M. giganteus</i> was probably more constrained and predictable than in extant deer.
Citation
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1912), p. 1-10
ISSN
1471-2954
0962-8452
Pubmed ID
31594504
Link
Publisher
The Royal Society Publishing
Title
Head to head: the case for fighting behaviour in Megaloceros giganteus using finite-element analysis
Type of document
Journal Article
Entity Type
Publication

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