The "wapiti" of North America — second-largest deer species after moose. Elk were extirpated from most of the eastern US by 1900 but have been successfully restored to states like Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Also called: Wapiti (Shawnee), American Elk

Native status: Native; recovered from near-extirpation in eastern US

§ Quick facts

SizeShoulder height 1.3–1.5 m (4.3–5 ft); body length 2.0–2.7 m
WeightBulls 320–500 kg (700–1,100 lb); cows 225–290 kg
LifespanWild typically 10–13 years; oldest documented 25
OrderArtiodactyla
FamilyCervidae

§ Encyclopedia

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.

Source: Wikipedia — Elk Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Large light brown deer with darker brown neck and legs; pale rump patch; massive branching antlers on bulls (shed and regrown annually).

Similar species. Moose (much larger, palmate antlers, no pale rump). Red Deer (Old World; nearly identical, was once considered the same species). White-tailed and Mule Deer (much smaller).

Voice. Famous bull "bugle" during rut; cows bark when alarmed.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Grasses, forbs, sedges in summer; shrubs and woody browse in winter. Adult eats ~9 kg (20 lb) of forage per day.

Behavior. Second-largest deer in North America (after moose). Historically across most of US; extirpated from the East by 1900, surviving only in remote western mountains. Successful reintroductions have established populations in MI, WI, KY, TN, NC, PA, and elsewhere. Distinctive "bugling" calls of bull elk during fall rut — eerie ascending whistle followed by deep grunting — among the most evocative sounds in western wilderness.

§ Range

Western US, parts of the Midwest and East via reintroductions

§ Habitat

Open forests, mountain meadows, river bottoms, sagebrush

§ Threats

Chronic wasting disease, vehicle strikes, brucellosis in feeding-ground populations, habitat fragmentation.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the elk is currently classified as Least Concern.

§ What helps

Support disease research. Report sick elk to state wildlife agencies. Drive carefully in elk country at dawn/dusk.

Support our work More ways to help

§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
  • National Park Service
  • IUCN Red List 2018