A reconstruction was made of an extinct subspecies of wapiti with distinct palmated antlers (Cervus canadensis palmidactyloceros, De Stefano, 1911), which existed in Europe at the time of the last glacial maximum at the end of the pleistocene epoch. Relict populations remained in the Alps and Sweden up until the late bronze age. The specimen from Lanski Vrh at Laze pri planini represents the first find of wapiti in Slovenia. It is an important find, because discoveries of wapiti in Europe are extremely rare, and it concerns a subspecies, that is particularly interesting due to circumstances surrounding the extinction of european wapiti and specific environmental adaptations. The specimen of wapiti was reconstructed in 2D and 3D form. 3D photogrammetric methods, which were used to reconstruct the specimen, represent an important way of creating reconstructions in the modern time, because it allows us to create a reconstruction in a given space, which is incredibly hard to portray in illustrations and photographs. In the case of wapiti of the subspecies Cervus canadensis palmidactyloceros this is extremely important, because the reconstructed parts of the fossil are the antlers of the wapiti, which show the characteristics of the subspecies. For the creation of a combined 3D model due to the fragmentary nature of the antlers 7 3D models were combined into a unified one. Three illustrations of the specimen were also made, together with a life illustration of the specimen. Taphonomic indicators are shown, like calcareous crystals on the antlers and signs of gnawing from rodents.
|