The 50-year mystery of the ancient ‘subway deer’ found in Canada has been solved

In 1976, while excavating a subway extension in Toronto, a city worker discovered unusual-looking antlers with “thick, horizontal beams”.

According to an Oct. 10 news release from the university, experts named it Torontocereus hypogeus, which means “hard Toronto deer from underground,” but over time it became known as the “Toronto subway deer,” according to an Oct. 10 news release from the university.

For nearly 50 years, the identity and lineage of the species has remained a mystery until now.

The researchers collected DNA from about two dozen ancient cervid specimens, including “ancestors of deer, elk, moose, and caribou,” and compared them to the mystery antlers.

According to the release, they found no match to any known species.

Thanks to advances in DNA analysis, Trent University researchers have now determined that antlers now belong to a separate species, related to mule deer and white-tailed deer, experts said.

“Think of him as his grandfather,” Dr. Aaron Shafer, chair of forensic science at Trent University, said in the release.

“This discovery fits into a broader picture of the megafaunal extinction event around 12,000 years ago, when many large mammals failed to adapt to rapid climate change,” the experts said.

The research team said they are using the findings to learn more about how today’s deer species might respond to climate change.

The research, which was completed by Shaffer and Dr. Camille Kessler, will be published in the journal Biology Lettersand is currently available on Bioreactive Print Print server.

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