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The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America. Elk are almost identical to Red Deer found in Europe. Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Although native to North America and eastern Asia, they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced, including New Zealand and Argentina.
Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Males engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling (sparring), and bugling, a loud series of vocalizations which establishes dominance over other males and attracts females.
Antlers and their velvet are used in traditional medicines and elk meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken.
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(Click on any picture to enlarge)
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ELK FACTS
Taxonomy
Scientific name
• Cervus elaphus
Subspecies
• Rocky Mountain (Rocky Mountain West)
• Roosevelt's (Pacific Coast)
• Tule (Central California)
• Manitoban (northern Great Plains)
• Merriam's (Southwest and Mexico) - Extinct
• Eastern (east of the Mississippi) - Extinct
Deer family
• Elk
• Moose
• Caribou
• Mule deer
• White-tailed deer
Biology
| Who's Who |
| Bull |
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Male elk |
| Cow |
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Female elk |
| Calf |
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Baby elk |
| Spike |
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Yearling bull elk |
Size
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| Newborn calf |
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35 pounds (16 kg) |
| Cow |
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500 pounds (225 kg)
4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) at the shoulder
6 1/2 feet (2 m) from nose to tail |
| Bull |
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700 pounds (315 kg)
5 feet (1.5 m) at the shoulder
8 feet (2.4 m) from nose to tail |
Color
• Body varies from deep copper brown to light tan
• Rump patch light beige
• Legs and neck often darker than body
Calves
• Typically born in late May through early June
• Calves are born spotted and scentless
• They spend their first few weeks hiding motionless while their mothers feed
| Diet |
| • Summer |
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grasses and forbs |
| • Spring and fall |
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grasses |
| • Winter |
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grasses, shrubs, tree bark and twigs |
| • Elk may supplement their diet at licks, where they take in minerals that may help them grow healthy coats and produce nutritious milk |
| • An elk's stomach has four chambers: the first stores food, and the other three digest it |
Antlers
• Only male elk have antlers
• Bulls shed and grow a new set of antlers every year
• New antlers are covered in fuzzy skin called velvet
• Antlers harden by late summer and the velvet peels away
• By September, antlers are solid bone
• A set of antlers on a mature bull can weigh up to 40 pounds
Ivories
• An elk's top two canine teeth are called ivories
• Scientists believe ivories are remnants of saber-like tusks that ancestral species of elk used in combat
• Most hunters save ivories as a memento of the hunt
Thermoregulation
Winter
• Elk grow winter coats consisting of long, waterproof guard hairs covering dense, woolly underfur
• During the day, elk feed on open, sunny slopes
• Elk bed down in the trees at night to seek shelter from wind and cold temperatures
Summer
• An elk's summer coat consists of short, stiff, relatively sparse hairs
• Elk bed down in cool, shady forests during the day
• Elk wade or lie in streams, rivers, ponds and lakes to seek relief from heat and biting insects
• Blood pumping through the veins in the velvet on a bull's antlers cools before it returns to the heart to help cool the animal
Behavior
Social Organization
• Cows, calves and yearlings live in loose herds or groups
• Bulls live in bachelor groups or alone
• During the rut, cows and calves form harems with one or two mature bulls
Body Postures
• When alarmed, elk raise their heads high, open their eyes wide, move stiffly and rotate their ears to listen
• If a harem cow wanders, a bull stretches his neck out low, tips up his nose, tilts his antlers back and circles her
• Elk threaten each other by curling back their upper lip, grinding their teeth and hissing softly
• Agitated elk hold their heads high, lay their ears back and flare their nostrils, and sometimes even punch with their front hooves
Vocalizations
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Bull elk bugle to attract cows and advertise their dominance to other bulls |
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Bull elk grunt at cows straying from the harem |
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Cows bark to warn others of danger |
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Cows mew to keep track of one another |
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Cows signal to their calves by whining softly |
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Calves in distress bleat for their mothers |
Staying Comfortable
• In cold snowy climates, cows, calves and young bulls migrate to foothills and valleys in winter
• An experienced elk, usually the lead cow, guides a herd between seasonal ranges
The Rut
• Elk breed in the fall
• Bulls gather cows and calves into small groups called harems
• Bulls wallow in mud to coat themselves with "perfume" to attract cows
• They also bugle and rub trees, shrubs and the ground with their antlers to attract cows and intimidate other bulls
• Bulls aggressively guard their harems from other bulls
• Sometimes, bulls wage violent battles for a harem, occasionally even fighting to the death
Range and Habitat
Range
• Prior to European settlement, more than 10 million elk roamed nearly all of the United States and parts of Canada
• Today, about one million elk live in the western United States, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, and from Ontario west in Canada
Habitat
• Food, water, shelter and space are essential to elk survival
• Elk live in a variety of habitats, from rainforests to alpine meadows and dry desert valleys to hardwood forests.
Cultural Uses
American Indians
• Hunted elk for food
• Used hides for clothing and blankets
• Fashioned bones and antlers into tools
• Decorated garments with ivories, or traded them for goods
Lewis and Clark
• The Corps of Discover killed and ate at least 375 elk during the Lewis and Clark Expedition
• Each man consumed roughly eight pounds of meat daily
• They used elk hides for clothing, moccasins, blankets, ropes, patching canoes and to cover gear
European Settlers
• Hunted elk for food
• Used hides for clothing
Modern-day Hunters
• Hunt elk for food
• Hang antlers on their walls to remember the hunt and celebrate the animal
• Wear gloves, coats and chaps made of elk hide
• Use antlers to make belt buckles, knife handles and chandeliers
• Adorn rings, bracelets and key chains with ivories
Management
• European settlers reduced the elk population from 10 million to less than 100,000 by 1900
• Hunters and wildlife managers began transplanting elk all over the United States and Canada in the early 1900s
• They captured elk from Yellowstone National Park and transported them by wagon, truck and train
• Elk herds re-established in most western states, and in Pennsylvania
• State and provincial game agencies eventually restored herds in Arkansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, Kentucky, Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• State and provincial game managers conduct annual elk counts and use the data to set hunting seasons and the number of licenses issued
• State and federal agencies team with groups like the Elk Foundation to purchase and improve wildlife habitat
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