Facts about Elk

Description of Elk
The Elk (Cervus elaphus) is described as a large northern Deer with huge flattened antlers in the male. The Elk is an Artiodactyl ruminant mammal of the family Cervidae. Ruminant animals are even-toed, cud-chewing, hoofed, usually horned mammals which have a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments. Deer are characterised by having deciduous antlers which are borne chiefly by the males. Examples of ruminant mammals are cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes. The deer family also includes the moose, caribou, and reindeer.
This animal is commonly called an Elk in Europe and called a Moose in North America. Another American name for the Elk is the Wapiti.

Species of Elk
These are the different species of Elk / Moose:◾Alces alces - European elk

◾Cervus elaphus canadensis - Eastern Elk

◾Cervus elaphus roosevelti - Roosevelt Elk

◾Cervus elaphus merriami - Merriam Elk

◾Cervus elaphus manitobensis - Manitoban Elk

◾Cervus elaphus nannodes - Tule Elk

◾Cervus elaphus nelsoni - Rocky Mountain Elk


The Elk are herbivores and live on a diet of grass, plants, bushes and saplings

The name of a male is referred to as a bull
The name of a female is referred to as a cow
The name or offspring, or a baby Elk, is a calf
The average size of a litter is one or two
The collective name for a group of Elk is a herd or gang
The sound made by a Elk is referred to as a bark or bugle