Cervalces Scotti
Lauren Takenaga T-4
Cause of extinction: human hunters, climate change, and disease
Where it lived: North America
Closest relative: modern moose
It is the end of the Cenozoic era in the Pleistocene ice age 11,000 years back. You are in southern Canada hunting. Suddenly, you hear the bush beside you rustling. As you peek behind the bush, you are awed at what you see. It has enormous antlers that are intricately ornamented. Also, it has a body of a moose, muzzle of a deer, and a head of an elk. It is a Cervalces Scotti or also known as the “Stag-Moose”. Maybe you could kill this animal, but you pause and watch a little longer.
Moose
Deer
Elk
First, you see the Cervalces Scotti eating grass; it is most likely an herbivore. Next, you study those huge antlers. Would those antlers be able to kill you? Then, you look at its hooves. It will definitely run faster than you and will be able to run through water. You look closer and see its unusually long and skinny legs. You figure it’s about 6ft tall and is around 900 pounds.
Average Height of a Cervalces Scotti: 6 ft. tall
After you take all of its features in, your confidence is lacking, but you still think its worth a shot, so you pull out your bow and arrow that you just sharpened. While you are doing this, you accidentally step on a twig and snap it in half. The Cervalces Scotti hears this and backs up slowly behind a nearby tree. You are surprised to see that it didn’t run away. Annoyed that you lost your perfect chance, you adjust your position again. Gracefully, you arch your arm back and shoot. The Cervalces Scotti yelps out, but is still standing. You try again with another arrow and this time the animal falls to the floor. Once more you shoot. You have caught your meal!
You think that next time you will hunt a Cervalces Scotti, but what you don’t know is that the Cervalces Scotti you just killed was the last of its species. Now, the Cervalces Scotti species is extinct and it will never get to see their closest relative, still alive today, the modern moose.
MAY YOU REST IN PEACE
CERVALCES SCOTTI
Work Cited
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