Ontario Researchers Solve Nearly 50-Year-Old Mystery of Toronto’s ‘Subway Deer’ Fossil

A sketch of what the Toronto "Subway Deer" could have looked like based on the fossil find. Courtesy of Trent University

Researchers have solved the nearly 50-year-old mystery of Toronto’s “Subway Deer,” a fossil that was discovered in the 1970s during construction of the city’s subway.

A partnership between Trent University, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Royal Alberta Museum helped discover the antler fossil dates back more than 11,000 years.

The fossil consists of a partial cranium with incomplete antler beams and was originally discovered in 1976 by a Toronto Transit Commission worker in the city’s west end, according to an Oct. 10 release from the university.

It was believed to be similar in size to a white-tailed deer or caribou but scientists weren’t able to match the animal’s “distinctive antler morphology”—unique with its thick, horizontal beams—to any known species.

Researchers said the fossil’s antlers appeared heavy, with beams that are nearly horizontal and do not have branches or palmation like that of caribou. The creature also had brow tines that appear developed and asymmetrical.

Paleontologists dubbed the specimen Torontoceros hypogaeus, which means “horned Toronto deer from underground,” but it gained the nickname Toronto subway deer.

Trent University chair of forensic science Aaron Shafer and Camille Kessler, a graduate of the school’s environmental and life sciences doctoral program, analyzed approximately 50 samples from possible ancient ancestors, including deer, elk, moose, and caribou, in an effort to settle the origins of the species.

“We can use genomics to understand the history of these deer species in Canada, four of which are in Ontario,” Shafer said.

He added that by comparing ancient and modern genetic data, researchers can see how species evolve in their natural environments.

The samples were obtained from both of the museums and the work was completed at the Royal Ontario Museum’s DNA lab, with the help of the museum’s collections technician Oliver Haddrath.

The researchers extracted DNA from roughly 25 percent of those samples to compare with the Toronto subway deer.

The team discovered the antlers belonged to a species of deer more closely related to white-tailed and mule deer than to caribou. The more than 11,000-year-old species is now extinct.

“By comparing short strands of the animal’s DNA across species, we could see it diverged before white-tailed deer and mule deer — think of it as their grandparent,” Shafer said.

Shafer added that the validation was “incredible,” saying that as a researcher “you’re always tempering your excitement” until the samples are fully analyzed.

The results of the study are set to be published in Biology Letters.