Giant deer Megaloceros giganteus Blumenbach, 1799 (Cervidae, Mammalia) from Palaeolithic of Eastern Europe

The article describes morphology and chronological distribution of late Middle – Late Pleistocene fossil remains of giant deer Megaloceros giganteus from the area adjoining the northern and eastern foothills of the Sudeten and Carpathian Mountains and some other regions of Eastern Europe. At list two forms of giant deer are reported from the Late Pleistocene of Eastern Europe. The morphological study of the comparatively small sized M. giganteus from Biśnik Cave (Poland) revealed some archaic cranial and dental characters. Another Late Pleistocene form of giant deer from Eastern Europe is characterized by larger size, moderately short limbs, and relatively long premolar series. The described forms of giant deer differ from a larger long-limbed type of giant deer with short premolar series from Sapozhok (Russia) and some other sites of Eastern Europe. Possible taphonomic biases in morphological study of giant deer from Eastern Europe are also discussed.