When craftsman Ken Walker decided to reconstruct an Irish elk for the “recreations” category of the 2005 World Taxidermy Championships, he did not rely on bones alone. Skeletons of the extinct Pleistocene mammal – technically called Megaloceros giganteus – were in no short supply as references, but there are some things that bones just can’t tell you. Cartilage, muscle, fascia, fat, skin, and hair must all be accounted for. Fortunately for Walker, prehistoric artisans etched some valuable information about this animal on stone.

Found in southwestern France’s Cougnac Cave, a rock canvas featuring approximately 25,000 year old drawings of Megaloceros displayed a prominent feature that scientists did not expect. (See above. From Lister, 1994.) Just above