| Libralces Temporal range:  Pliocene-Pleistocene  | |
|---|---|
|  | |
| Libralces gallicus | |
| Scientific classification   | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Chordata | 
| Class: | Mammalia | 
| Order: | Artiodactyla | 
| Family: | Cervidae | 
| Subfamily: | Capreolinae | 
| Tribe: | Alceini | 
| Genus: | † Libralces Azzaroli 1952 [1] | 
| Species | |
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Libralces was a dubious genus of Eurasian deer that lived during the Pliocene epoch. It is notable for its 2+ meter wide antlers, comparable in size to those of Megaloceros .
Libralces fossils have been found from France to Tajikistan, [1] with the best-known examples being the French L. gallicus .
According to Jordi Agustí, Libralces was the ancestor of Megaloceros, though most other authorities regard it as a relative of moose, Alces .
In the Pleistocene, there were three genera of Holarctic moose-like deer — Cervalces , Alces, and Libralces. In contrast to modern Alces, the Villafranchian Libralces gallicus had very long-beamed, small-palmed antlers and a generalized skull with moderately reduced nasals; the Nearctic Cervalces had longer nasals and more complex antlers than Libralces. Azzaroli 1953 added Alces latiforns to Libralces, but this position has been challenged. [2] L. latifrons is now considered a synonym of Cervalces latifrons . [3] [ better source needed ]