Head to head: the case for fighting behaviour in Megaloceros giganteus using finite-element analysis.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Klinkhamer AJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6790765 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Head to head: the case for fighting behaviour in <i>Megaloceros giganteus</i> using finite-element analysis.
Klinkhamer Ada J AJ Woodley Nicholas N Neenan James M JM Parr William C H WCH Clausen Philip P Sánchez-Villagra Marcelo R MR Sansalone Gabriele G Lister Adrian M AM Wroe Stephen S
Proceedings. Biological sciences 20191009 1912
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: r ...[more]
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