What an epic lineup of Ice Age icons—this chart is a visual feast showing the biggest prehistoric mammals (and birds) of Europe, all scaled together for an awesome size comparison. Here’s a breakdown of the creatures from top to bottom and left to right:
🐘 Giants Above 3 Meters
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Bison priscus gigas (1,000–2,000 kg)
➤ Ice Age steppe bison, massive and muscular. -
Pachystruthio (300 kg)
➤ Giant flightless bird, like an ostrich on steroids. -
Mammuthus trogontherii (up to 14,000 kg)
➤ Steppe mammoth, possibly the largest elephant ever. -
Deinotherium (8,000–13,000 kg)
➤ Giant cousin of modern elephants, with downward-curving tusks. -
Palaeoloxodon antiquus (6,000–13,000 kg)
➤ Straight-tusked elephant—Europe’s largest land mammal. -
Zygolophodon tapiroides (800–1,500 kg)
➤ Early elephant relative with primitive features. -
Camelus knoblochi (200–1,000 kg)
➤ Prehistoric camel, adapted for cold climates. -
Pelorovis (450–850 kg)
➤ Giant long-horned buffalo, also found in Africa but represented here in the European context.
🐃 Mid-Sized Megafauna (~2m tall)
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Elasmotherium caucasicum (5,000 kg)
➤ The “Siberian unicorn” rhino—enormous, with a likely massive horn. -
Chalicotherium goldfussi
➤ Odd clawed herbivore with long limbs—somewhere between a gorilla and a horse. -
Cervalces latifrons
➤ Giant moose with extremely wide antlers. -
Coelodonta antiquitatis (woolly rhino)
➤ Iconic Ice Age rhino, stocky and armored. -
Megaloceros giganteus (Irish elk)
➤ Largest deer ever, with spectacular antlers. -
Bubalus murrensis (800 kg)
➤ An extinct buffalo species from Europe. -
Hippopotamus antiquus (3,300 kg)
➤ Ancient hippo, bulkier than today’s. -
Equus stenonis (600 kg)
➤ An early horse species, similar to modern zebras.
📏 The grid shows a scale from 2 meters up to 4 meters, making it easy to compare sizes.
⚠️ Note: The “Biggest Terrestrial Herbivore” in Europe was likely Palaeoloxodon antiquus or Mammuthus trogontherii, both elephant species that dwarfed today’s African elephants.