Elk. The elk, or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia.
The word elk originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists. The name wapiti derives from a Shawnee and Cree word meaning white rump for the distinctive light fur in the rear region, just like the Bighorn Sheep.
Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Male elk have large antlers, which they shed each year.
Males also engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling, and bugling, a loud series of vocalizations that establishes dominance over other males and attracts females. Although it is currently native to North America and central/eastern Asia, it had a much broader distribution in the past.
Populations were present across Eurasia into Western Europe during the Late Pleistocene and survived into the early Holocene in southern Sweden and the Alps; the extinct Merriam's elk subspecies ranged into Mexico. The elk has adapted well to countries where it has been introduced, including Argentina and New Zealand. Its adaptability may, in fact, threaten endemic species and the ecosystems it enters. Elk are suscep
The word elk originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists. The name wapiti derives from a Shawnee and Cree word meaning white rump for the distinctive light fur in the rear region, just like the Bighorn Sheep.
Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Male elk have large antlers, which they shed each year.
Males also engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling, and bugling, a loud series of vocalizations that establishes dominance over other males and attracts females. Although it is currently native to North America and central/eastern Asia, it had a much broader distribution in the past.
Populations were present across Eurasia into Western Europe during the Late Pleistocene and survived into the early Holocene in southern Sweden and the Alps; the extinct Merriam's elk subspecies ranged into Mexico. The elk has adapted well to countries where it has been introduced, including Argentina and New Zealand. Its adaptability may, in fact, threaten endemic species and the ecosystems it enters. Elk are suscep
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