Dental Wear Evidence for Browsing and Grazing Dietary Traits in the Giant Deer from the Late Pleistocene of Central Europe
Journal: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Urgeschichte
Year: 2022

The paleoecology of the giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), including its dietary preferences, is poorly known, mainly because reconstructions based on morphological characteristics have produced contradictory results. In this study, we propose to reconstruct the diet of the giant deer from five archaeological sites located in Southern Germany and the Harz Mountains using microwear and mesowear analyses. We also include the results of a review of tooth wear data published during the past decade