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 1. Animals
 2. Land Mammals


FACTS ABOUT ELK

References
By Alina Bradford
published April 06, 2016



 * 
 * 
 * 
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 * 
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An elk gets a drink from a BLM watering hole. (Image credit: Bureau of Land
Management Colorado)


Elk are members of the Cervidae family, which includes caribou, deer and moose.
Like their relatives, elk have massive antlers and long legs with cloven
hooves. 




SIZE

Elk tend to be broader than deer, but not as massive as moose. They are
typically, 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) from hoof to shoulder and weigh 325
to 1,100 lbs. (147 to 499 kilograms), according to National Geographic. An elk’s
antlers make it much taller. A male elk's antlers can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 m)
above its head, making it around 9 feet (2.7 m) tall in all. Females do not have
antlers.


HABITAT



Elks are found all over the world. Large wild populations are mostly found in
North America, in the western United States from Canada through the Eastern
Rockies to New Mexico and in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan, according
to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web (ADW). They prefer
woodlands, but they can also be found in clear cuts, open mountains, coniferous
swamps, aspen-hardwood forests and coniferous-hardwood forests. They tend to
stay clear of dense forests.





HABITS

Elk are social animals and live in groups called herds. Herds are often quite
large, with 200 or more members, according to the Smithsonian. Some herds have
over 400 members. The herd is often segregated by gender, with males staying in
one group and females in another. Though segregated, herds are matriarchal,
which means it is run by a single female.

RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU...Live Science



Harems of elk are common during mating season. A dominant male will have a herd
of around six females and their yearlings. The male will defend his territory
around the females until mating season is over.



Elk are most active during mornings and evenings. During the summer, elk will
often migrate to higher, cooler, elevations and migrate to lower elevations in
the winter.


DIET

Elk are herbivores, which means they only eat vegetation. Their diet changes
depending on the year, eating grasses in the summer and woody growth in the
winter months, according to the ADW. They prefer dandelions, violets, hawkweed,
aster, clover and mushrooms as their favorite treats.



Elk congregate on the Camp Creek Feed Ground in northwestern Wyoming. (Image
credit: USGS)


OFFSPRING

Males are called bulls and females are called cows. A cow usually gives birth to
one baby at a time after a six-month gestation period. Elk babies are called
calves and weigh around 31 to 35 lbs. (14 to 16 kg) when they are born. 

After just 20 minutes, a calf can stand on its own. After 16 days the calf will
join the herd and complete weaning by 60 days of age, according to the ADW. Elk
are ready to mate around 16 months of age. They tend to live around eight to 12
years, though they sometimes live to more than 20 years.


CLASSIFICATION/TAXONOMY

Here is the taxonomy of elk according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information
System (ITIS):

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum:
Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda
Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Cervinae Genus: Cervus Species: Cervus elaphus
Subspecies:

 * Cervus elaphus alashanicus
 * Cervus elaphus atlanticus
 * Cervus elaphus barbarous (Barbary deer)
 * Cervus elaphus brauneri
 * Cervus elaphus Canadensis
 * Cervus elaphus corsicanus (Corsican red deer)
 * Cervus elaphus elaphus (Wapiti)
 * Cervus elaphus hanglu (Kashmir stag)
 * Cervus elaphus hispanicus
 * Cervus elaphus kansuensis
 * Cervus elaphus macneilli (McNeill's deer)
 * Cervus elaphus maral
 * Cervus elaphus nannodes
 * Cervus elaphus pannoniensis
 * Cervus elaphus songaricus
 * Cervus elaphus wallichii (Shou)
 * Cervus elaphus xanthopygus
 * Cervus elaphus yarkandensis (Yarkland deer)


CONSERVATION STATUS

Elks are not endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation
of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, because the population is increasing, overall, and
it has a wide distribution. There are more than 750,000 elk today in the United
States and Canada, according to the Smithsonian.  


OTHER FACTS

Elk are also called wapiti. This is a Native American word meaning
"light-colored deer," according to National Geographic. They are also called red
deer.

Bulls grow new antlers every year. New antlers are covered with a soft coating
called velvet. When the males fight for mates they rub off all of their velvet
by bashing their antlers together during fights of dominance. 

Elk antlers have six tines, or branches, total.

Additional resources

 * PBS: Elk Facts
 * California Department of Fish and Wildlife: Elk Management Program
 * Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: Elk Facts


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Alina Bradford
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Live Science Contributor
Alina Bradford is a contributing writer for Live Science. Over the past 16
years, Alina has covered everything from Ebola to androids while writing health,
science and tech articles for major publications. She has multiple health,
safety and lifesaving certifications from Oklahoma State University. Alina's
goal in life is to try as many experiences as possible. To date, she has been a
volunteer firefighter, a dispatcher, substitute teacher, artist, janitor,
children's book author, pizza maker, event coordinator and much more.
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