ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS: Which deer is known to have the tallest antlers?

QUESTION: Which deer is known to have the tallest antlers?

The Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) holds the record for the tallest antlers in evolutionary history. 

Despite its name, it was not exclusively Irish, nor was it an elk; it ranged across Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch.

These animals could be up to seven feet tall at the shoulders, with antlers spanning as wide as 12ft and weighing up to 88lb.

Dr Thomas Molyneux, the first scientist to describe the Irish elk, erroneously identified it with the American moose (Alces alces) - confusingly known as the Eurasian elk in Europe - because of its appearance and size.

The Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) holds the record for the tallest antlers in evolutionary history

In fact, the Irish elk is not especially closely related to either the moose or the American elk (Cervus canadensis). Instead, its closest living relative is the fallow deer (Dama dama). 

The enormous size of these antlers is thought to be a result of sexual selection, where females preferred males with the largest and most impressive antlers.

Over generations, this led to an evolutionary arms race withincreasingly massive antlers, even though their size might have been a hindrance in terms of mobility and survival in dense forests.

The Irish elk became extinct around 8,000 years ago, possibly due to a combination of climate change and habitat changes.

A magnificent example of a Megaloceros fossil skeleton can be seen at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The moose has the largest antlers of all living deer. 

The current Guinness World Record for largest antler spread is nearly 6ft 9in (and weighing about 60lb), for a moose shot in Alaska in 1958.

Dr Alan Davies, Bournemouth, Dorset

QUESTION: Why do we scale a mountain instead of climbing it?

Scale is an interesting word etymologically because there are at least three different English words written and pronounced scale, each with a different origin.

The word scale in the climbing sense comes from the Latin word scala meaning ladder or staircase, which ultimately comes from the verb scandere (to climb).

The idea of using scale to describe moving from a lower place to a higher place was later embraced by geographers and mathematicians and thus became the term used on maps to show how it represents an area relative to real life.

On the other hand, the scale of a fish or reptile is a borrowing from an Old French word, escale, adopted from a Germanic form related to the English word shell.

Finally, a scale for weighing comes from the Old Norse skal (bowl, drinking cup). 

This refers to the pan of a weighing scale.

Alison Dean, Bedford

QUESTION: How does the U.S. militarys star ranking system work? Has there ever been a six-star ranked general?

Officially there are no six-star generals, although the rank is sometimes ascribed to the three men assigned General of the Armies of the United States — John J. Pershing, George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant.

The U.S. militarys star ranking system is used to denote the hierarchy of officers, with four-star generals or admirals being the highest active-duty rank.

The five-star rank, known as General of the Army (or Fleet Admiral in the Navy), was established by Congress in 1944. 

This rank is reserved for wartime situations when it is necessary to match the hierarchy of allied forces.

General Pershing (1860-1948) commanded the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during the First World War. 

Afterwards, he was given the title General of the Armies of the United States, with superiority over all armed services.

Then, on July 4, 1976, during Americas bicentennial, Congress passed a law posthumously promoting George Washington (1732-1799) to General of the Armies of the United States. 

Again, this rank was never officially defined as six stars. Although Washington had served only as a two-star Major General, President John Adams advanced him to Lieutenant General, which carried three stars, in 1798.

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885),commander of the Union Army during the American Civil War, was another former president who was posthumously promoted.

He became General of the Armies of the United States following the passing of the Ulysses S. Grant Bicentennial Recognition Act in 2022.

Tom Irvine, Somersham, Cambs