ELK

ORDER

Artiodactyla (even toed ungulates)

FAMILY

Cervinae (deer and elk)

HABITAT AND RANGE

Elk inhabit variable habitats. In the summertime they are found chiefly in high open mountain pastures. They make their way down to lower more sheltered elevations for the winter often in dense woodlands. They range from British Columbia, Alberta south to New Mexico and Arizona. Large numbers inhabit Washington, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.

IDENTIFICATION

Elk are very large cervids. They have thick necks and slender legs. The fur is Brown and tan with darker underparts. Bucks have dark brown manes and very large, many tined antlers. Mature bucks have 6 tines on each side of their antlers. The main beam of the antlers can grow to be 5 feet long. Juvenile elks are spotted until they are 3 months old. Elk stand about 5 feet tall; males weigh 600-1090 lbs while females weigh in at 450-650 lbs.

DIET

Elk are herbivores. They eat many plants but are primarily grazers. East of the continental divide (basically the Rocky Mountains) they feed heavily on woody vegetation due to the scarcity of grasses and forbs. They will also feed on lichen.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFESPAN

Shortly before the fall rut, in late September and early October, male elk lose the velvet on their horns and begin to compete for access to females. Dominant males are able to maintain larger harems of females and restrict access to them. They defend a kind of "moving territory" around the harem. Males advertise this territory, their status, and attract females through bugling. Fights between dominant males and intruders can be intense and result in injury, exhaustion, or death. Harems are usually made up of 1 bull and 6 females with their yearling calves and are seasonal.

Both males and females are sexually mature at sixteen months; although young males do not usually mate until they are a few years old and can compete with more mature males. Gestation generally lasts between 240 and 262 days and results in a single birth (twins are rare). This low annual production is offset by a high investment in protective maternal care. At birth, calves weigh around 15 to 16 kg and have creamy spots on their back and sides. Their hooves are soft. Just after birth, a cow and her calf will live alone for several weeks. At 16 days the calf is able to join the herd, and weaning is completed within 60 days.

NOTES

Elk are social animals; they live in summer herds with as many as 400 individuals. These herds are matriarchal and are dominated by a single cow.