Megaloceros Ingentiaegidi, Altorell, Inakata Elk

From heavyweight birds to nimble predators – to graceful prey and who were once deemed ecologically controversial landscapers, ever since the bombs dropped all those years ago, animals large and small felt the brunt end of the nuclear war. For decades or even centuries, many of the creatures who once roamed the pre-war USA are now lost to time. But some animals are defying the odds, recovering to healthy population levels long after being deemed lost causes. 200 years after the war, many creatures have bounced back, some surprisingly suffering little from the horrors of nuclear devastation. Others, descendants of the once proud wildlife who once roamed the world, now make their mark where their relatives once stood.

Fauna in the world of New America come in a variety of shapes and sizes and occupy wild areas throughout the world. After 200 years, many animals have started to once again return to their old habitats. Some animals have been domesticated by the inhabitants of the New America, and serve as pets, transportation or livestock. Other animals cluster together in the wild in packs, herds, and flocks and try and make a living in the new world. Like with most things, cycles never end. After humans, Deer and Elk populations in many parts of the states both exploded and diminished. While Radstag took the place of many of the larger elk and Deer species in the main Boston territories, many other deer species virtually remained unchanged. As a result, the wilds of Commonwealth are often teeming with deer. Docile creatures, they serve as food for much of the land’s more savage beasts. In addition to the common whitetail, which virtually remained unchanged in much of the US, other smaller deer species came into fruition following a long tedious evolutionary set path, each one designed to thrive within the new world.
Towards more northern territories in New America, Large species of Cervidae still roam the lands. Alces alces, or the Moose still holds title of the largest and heaviest original species in the deer family. However, unlike before in the older days where this animal would never have to fight for the title of largest Deer roaming the planet, the Moose now has competition from other Large Cervidae.
One such species is Megaloceros Ingentiaegidi

ingenti - large, remarkable (Latin)

aegidi - shield (Latin)

by Skyrim

An absolute icon of prehistory come to life, this giant deer takes on the role of its name sake as one of the most impressive and largest species of Deer. Although comparable in size to moose (6 feet tall, 1,100 lbs), this animal is closer in relation, surprisingly to the Eurasian red deer, who were thought to be brought in to the America’s to fill in exotic game ranches, places where Hunters wouldn’t have to travel half-way across the world just to hunt certain species, or meat farms, as in modern times, western countries such as New Zealand and the United States had taken to importing and farming European red deer for venison.
The term Megaloceros was given to this deer species in regards to the highly noticeable and recognizable “Shield”, that Megaloceros, especially the more famous Megaloceros giganteus, aka the Irish Elk was known for sporting. Impressive antlers that instead of branching out and developing tines, have developed into large shovel-like (palmated) antlers with thick tines growing out from them. It is because of these antlers that this species were originally incorrectly thought to be derived from Moose, as Red Deer and other Elk species like Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain do not have Palmated shovel antlers, but large branching antlers which develop many tines during their life time.
Despite not being related, they are still a large animal when compared to other species of deer that now populate much of the New America landscape, being slightly dwarfed by Moose, (Alces alces) in terms of weight and height, while the moose is dwarfed by Altorell.
Huge deer, bigger than a domestic cow but with a graceful and elegant form perfect for bounding about the open environs where they are commonly found, the American Giant Elk, like most deer exhibit countershading, the belly being a much lighter color than the darkened back.
A shoulder hump stores fat reserves and also supports the animal’s huge antlers. With a span of up to twelve feet, these antlers are the largest of any deer by far; while females do not sport them, males use them to plow snow and expose edible plants, fend off predators, scratch the occasional back itch, and as weapons during the annual rut.
Enormous rutting stags crash their antlers together and shove to determine dominance, a sound that can be heard more than half a mile away. Most of the year these animals can be found in same-sex herds, grazing and browsing under the watchful eye of an appointed sentry. In the northern parts of their range they are often known too commingle with large herds of caribou.
Despite its keen senses, sharp hooves, and the males’ formidable antlers, they still have many natural predators, including wolves, big cats, bears, and wargs; humans too now hunt these creatures with regularity, some for subsistence and most for the trophy of a lifetime. Some humans also consider them sacred, representing bravery, fertility, endurance, and power. Living with so many dangerous predators has made them skittish and unpredictable, making them singularly unqualified for riding despite the many attempts.
Another Species of Cervidae one can stumble across is the Altorell

by Totemaster

Described by many as a tangled mess of hair and muscle, with twisted antlers jutting out at seemingly random places on its upper body, it is a mutated member of the Cervine Family that branched off from their original pre-war counterparts, who, unsurprisingly given their tremendous size, happened to be moose!!
The result of a small isolated population of moose being tainted by the radioactive fallout from the onslaught of atomic warfare, it towers over even the most largest of the commonwealths largest fauna, with them being able to fend off large Deathclaw with ease. However, they are also horribly misunderstood creatures. Tales of their temper run rampant through the northern territories, but as it turns out, Altorell are not as aggressive as tall-tales dictate, with attacks against humans being the result of human’s harassing or otherwise giving the animal reasons to attack.

It is also thought that these hyped tales of aggression are also what gave rise to the idea that they are also bloodthirsty to their own kind. While it is true that males will often fight ferociously during breeding seasons with intruding males and deaths can occur during them, males do not actively go out of their way to kill members of their own kind as previously believed. And they are not as solitary as first believed either. Males are known to do what is described as “territory guarding” meaning that while it seems like they leave an area to roam somewhere else, they actually don’t.

And even in defense of their territory range, they are not all that aggressive towards other members of their kind. Rather than retaining a territory simply by fighting, which can cost the animal valuable energy or even result in serious injury or death, Altorell have a 3-stage process to territory guarding. Males often create "sign-posts" to advertise their territory. Sometimes these sign-posts are on the boundary thereby demarcating the territory, or, may be scattered throughout the territory. These communicate to other animals that the territory is occupied and may also communicate additional information such as the sex, reproductive status or dominance status of the territory-holder.

Sign-posts may communicate information by olfactory, auditory, or visual means, or a combination of these. If an intruder progresses further into the territory beyond the sign-posts and encounters the territory-holder, both animals may begin ritualized aggression toward each other. This is a series of stylized postures, vocalizations, displays, etc. which function to solve the territory dispute without actual fighting as this could injure either or both animals. Ritualized aggression often ends by one of the animals fleeing (generally the intruder). If this does not happen, the territory may be defended by actual fighting, although this is generally a last resort.

Because Altorell have what is known as Type-A territory- An 'all-purpose territory' in which all activities occur, e.g. courtship, mating, nesting and foraging-reports of territory size can be confused by a lack of distinction between home range and the defended territory. The size and shape of a territory can vary according to its purpose, season, the amount and quality of resources it contains, or the geography. The size is usually a compromise of resource needs, defense costs, predation pressure and reproductive needs. Younger animals do not need such large territories and as a result their range is smaller. Larger males have highly variable territory sizes, ranging from less than 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) to almost to over 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres)

To put that range into perspective, The state of Rhode Island is 776,960 acres, or 1,214 square miles.

Females are also not that aggressive as well. Female Altorell without calves are mostly peaceful towards humans. However during their Breeding and Birthing Season, Altorell can become so aggressive and dangerous that many settlements will cordon off areas where they are known to roam, blocking roads and effectively banning entry on all lands for months at a time, until breeding season is done and calves are old enough to leave their mother.

Males have also been discovered staying close to birthing females, as their range can home at least about 3-5 females at a time, and Unlike Moose who only interact with their kind during breeding season and are normally solitary the rest of the year, Females and Male Altorell stay in close vicinity of each other for protection of the young, who when small can fall prey to larger creatures unlike the adults. If a female is in danger and requires aid she can call upon the neighboring females or call for her male, who will come to her rescue.

The only domesticated Altorell known to exist, goes by the name of Kheglen, and like most of his kind is protective against what he owns. But because he moves around a lot, his territory is not a set place. Instead it is the Caravan trailer which he associates with and what's in it, meaning the people living in it, and he'll protect it against anything he deems a threat. So he often roams freely around his "territory" getting rid of threats whenever they park the Caravan. And as it turns out that protection is even against things like passing BoS convoys, who he has learned can pose a danger to those he is protecting-because of this Kheglen has made it a habit of stalking the vicinity around the Caravans and even walking the roads attacking BoS convoys should they wander too close.

Knight Elk, also named "Moon-Stone Elk" or the Inakata Elk, are the fourth largest Elk species crowned by an impressive pair of antlers that grow so large it is thought they never shed. Herbivores that live in cold climates, they are generally docile, though they have been known to attack when threatened. The distinguishable white hair and shaggy mane make this elk different to other elks in the region, and it is often said they possess a staggering majestic beauty that cannot be rivaled. With a herbivore diet includes grasses, leaves, bark and plants, their high-quality pelts have many uses, and their antlers are highly prized due to their unique branching similar to that of a European Red Deer. Shining and graceful with snowy coat, they are often a symbol of Strength, vitality, wisdom and cunning. As such it is often commonplace in some settlements in the north to give a Greystone charm carved in the animals likeness, to travelers in hopes of a swift journey. In other settlements, because of the stags symbol of fertility, Statues depicting the elk in various poses, are often given to expectant mothers in hopes that their children develop strong able and healthy. Many families also keep one in their home or on their doorstep for luck.