Elk (Wapiti)

Description:

Elk belong to the deer family. Large bulls may weigh 800 lbs and have large antlers which are shed annually. Cows are smaller and are without antlers. Both sexes are tawny brown with darker necks and legs and tan rumps.

Habitat:

Forested edges, grasslands (originally), and mountain forests. Elk are grazers (forage on grass) rather than browsers (forage on woody twigs), so were once common on the open prairies of North America. They have now been largely relegated to mountain forests and meadows.

Notes:

This photo was taken during the autumn rut. The bulls are aggressive at this time of year and these two bulls took an exception to the other's presence. The bull on the left was a harem master, i.e. he had gathered a large herd of cows. The other bull decided to contest the herd and this battle ensued. It was pretty spectacular as they tore up large clods of dirt and shoved and pushed each other at high speed over an area the size of a football field. A storm and darkness was moving in so I didn't see the outcome, but the next morning the former herd master was alone, apparently ousted from the herd by his challenger.