Taxonomy
Biology
Behavior
Range and Habitat
Cultural Uses
Management
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 |
|
Male elk |
| Cow |
|
Female elk |
| Calf |
|
Baby elk |
| Spike |
|
Yearling bull elk |
Size
|
| Newborn calf |
|
35 pounds (16 kg) |
| Cow |
|
500 punds (225 kg)
4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) at the shoulder
6 1/2 feet (2 m) from nose to tail |
| Bull |
|
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 |
|
grasses and forbs |
| • Spring and fall |
|
grasses |
| • Winter |
|
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
|
| LISTEN |
|
Bull elk bugle to attract cows and advertise their dominance to other bulls |
|
|
Bull elk grunt at cows straying from the harem |
| LISTEN |
|
Cows bark to warn others of danger |
| LISTEN |
|
Cows mew to keep track of one another |
|
|
Cows signal to their calves by whining softly |
|
|
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