Elk

Posted December 22nd, 2007 by Anonymous

The elk , or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis ), is the second largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the moose, Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger. Wapiti are almost identical to red deer found in Europe, of which they were long believed to be a subspecies; they have recently been determined to be a distinct species based on DNA evidence.

Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves and bark. Although native to North America and eastern Asia, they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced, including New Zealand and Argentina. Their high level of adaptability poses a threat to endemic species and ecosystems where they have been introduced.

Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Males engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling and bugling , a loud series of screams which establishes dominance over other males and attracts females. The bugle call is one of the most distinctive calls in nature.

Elk are susceptible to a number of infectious diseases, some of which can be transmitted to livestock. Efforts to eliminate infectious diseases from elk populations, largely through vaccination, have had mixed success.

Some cultures revere the elk as a spiritual force. In parts of Asia, antlers and their velvet are used in traditional medicines. Elk are hunted as a game species; the meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken.

Naming and etymology

Early European explorers in North America, who were familiar with the smaller red deer of Europe, believed that the much larger North American animal looked more like a moose, so they used the common European name for the moose, which is elk . The name elk is connected with the Latin alces , and with Old Norse elgr , Scandinavian elg , and German Elch , all of which refer to the animal known in North America as the moose. The name wapiti is from the Native American word waapiti , meaning white rump and is of Shawnee origin. The elk is also referred to as the maral in Asia, though this is due to confusion with the East European red deer ( Cervus elaphus maral ), which is a subspecies of European red deer. There is a subspecies of elk in Mongolia called the Altai maral ( Cervus canadensis sibiricus ), which is also known by names such as Altai wapiti , Siberian wapiti , and/or Siberian elk .

Taxonomy

Cervus genus ancestors of elk first appear in the fossil record 12 million years ago, during the Pliocene in Eurasia, but do not appear in the North American fossil record until the later Pleistocene ice ages when they crossed the Bering land bridge. The extinct Irish Elk ( Megaloceros ) was not a member of the genus Cervus , but rather the largest member of the wider deer family (Cervidae) known from the fossil record.

Until 2004, red deer and elk were considered to be one species, Cervus elaphus , based on fertile hybrids that have been produced in captivity. Recent DNA studies, conducted on hundreds of samples from red deer and elk subspecies as well as other species of the Cervus deer family, showed that elk, or wapiti, form a distinct species C. canadensis . The previous classification had over a dozen subspecies under the C. elaphus species designation; DNA evidence concludes that elk are more closely related to Thorold's deer and even sika deer than they are to the red deer. Though elk and red deer can produce fertile offspring in captivity, geographic isolation between the species in the wild and differences in mating behaviors indicate that reproduction between them outside a controlled environment would be unlikely.

Subspecies

There are numerous subspecies of elk described: six from North America and four from Asia, although some taxonomists consider them different ecotypes or races of the same species (adapted to local environments through minor changes in appearance and behavior). Populations vary as to antler shape and size, body size, coloration and mating behavior. DNA investigations of the Eurasian subspecies revealed that phenotypic variation in antlers, mane and rump patch development are based on "climatic-related lifestyle factors".

Of the six subspecies of elk known to have inhabited North America in historical times, four remain, including the Roosevelt ( C. canadensis roosevelti ), Tule ( C. canadensis nannodes ), Manitoban ( C. canadensis manitobensis ) and Rocky Mountain ( C. canadensis nelsoni ). The Eastern elk ( C. canadensis canadensis ) and Merriam's elk ( C. canadensis merriami ) subspecies have been extinct for at least a century. Classification of the four surviving North American groups as subspecies is maintained, at least partly, for political purposes to permit individualized conservation and protective measures for each of the surviving populations.

Four subspecies described in Asia include the Altai Wapiti ( C. canadensis sibiricus ) and the Tianshan Wapiti ( C. canadensis songaricus ) . Two distinct subspecies found in China and Korea are the Manchurian ( C. canadensis xanthopygus ) and the Alashan wapitis ( C. canadensis alashanicus ).The Manchurian wapiti is darker and more reddish in coloration than the other populations. The Alashan wapiti of north central China is the smallest of all subspecies, has the lightest coloration and is the least studied. Valerius Geist, who has written on the world's various deer species, holds that there are only three subspecies of elk. Geist maintains the Manchurian and Alashan wapiti but places all other elk into C. canadensis canadensis .

Recent DNA studies suggest, that there are no more than three or four subspecies of Wapiti. All American forms seem to belong to one subspecies ( Cervus canadiensis canadiensis ). Even the Siberian elk ( Cervus canadiensis sibiricus ) are more or less identical to the American forms and therefore may belong to this subspecies, too. However the Manchurian wapiti ( Cervus canadiensis xanthopygus ) is clearly distinct from the Siberian forms, but not distinguishable from the Alashan Wapiti. The Chinese forms MacNeill's Deer and Tibetan red deer belong also to the Wapitis and were not distinguishable from each other. So they probably form one single subspecies ( Cervus canadiensis kansuensis ).

Description

The elk is a large animal of the artiodactyle ungulate order, possessing an even number of toes on each foot, similar to those of camels, goats and cattle. It is a ruminant species, with a four-chambered stomach, and feeds on grasses, plants, leaves and bark. During the summer, elk eat almost constantly, consuming between 4 and 7 kg (10 to 15 lb) daily. In North America, males are called bulls , and females are called cows . In Asia, stag and hind , respectively, are sometimes used instead.

Elk are more than twice as heavy as mule deer and have a more reddish hue to their hair coloring, as well as large, buff colored rump patches and smaller tails. Moose are larger and darker than elk, bulls have distinctively different antlers and moose do not herd. Elk cows average 225 kg (500 lb), stand 1.3 m (4½ ft) at the shoulder, and are 2 m (6½ ft) from nose to tail. Bulls are some 25% larger than cows at maturity, weighing an average of 320 kg (700 lb), standing 1.5 m (5 ft) at the shoulder and averaging 2.5 m (8 ft) in length. The largest of the subspecies is the Roosevelt elk, found west of the Cascade Range in the U.S. states of California, Oregon and Washington, and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Roosevelt elk have been reintroduced into Alaska, where males have been recorded as weighing up to 600 kg (1,300 lb).

Only the males have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each winter. The largest antlers may be 1.2 m (4 ft) long and weigh 18 kg (40 lb). Antlers are made of bone which can grow at a rate of 2.5 cm (1 inch) per day. While actively growing, the antlers are covered with and protected by a soft layer of highly vascularised skin known as velvet. The velvet is shed in the summer when the antlers have fully developed. Bull elk may have six or more tines on each antler, however the number of tines has little to do with the age or maturity of a particular animal. The Siberian and North American elk carry the largest antlers while the Altai wapiti have the smallest. The formation and retention of antlers is testosterone-driven. After the breeding season in late fall, the level of pheromones released during estrus declines in the environment and the testosterone levels of males drop as a consequence. This drop in testosterone leads to the shedding of antlers, usually in the early winter.

During the fall, elk grow a thicker coat of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Males, females and c

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Elk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The elk , or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis ), is the second largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia : in the deer family ...