''Libralces'' was a genus of Eurasian deer that lived during the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Megaloceros''.
''Libralces'' fossils have been found from France to Tajikistan, 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
The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...
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
The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface.
The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...
''Cervalces'' had longer nasals and more complex antlers than ''Libralces''.
Azzaroli 1953 added ''Alces latiforns'' to ''Libralces'', but this position has been challenged. ''L. latifrons'' is now considered a synonym of '' Cervalces latifrons''.