| PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION | Large deer with slender legs and thick neck. Light brown or tan body with a dark underside and a yellowish rump patch and tail. The head and throat are dark brown. Males have large antlers, up to 150 cm (59 in.) long. Females are smaller and lack antlers. |
| SIZE | 1.5 m (5 ft.) tall at shoulder; 2–3 m (7.5–9 ft.) long; 295 kg (650 lb.) |
| RANGE | Wyoming, Montana, Alberta, western Washington, Oregon, and northwestern California; small groups scattered throughout North America |
| NATURAL HISTORY | Elk are nocturnal, active at dusk and dawn. They move quickly and quietly through dense forest. Herds usually consist of cows, calves, and yearlings. A bull joins this herd during mating season, fighting other males to maintain his dominance. |
| FOOD | Elk are grazers and feed mainly on grasses, shrubs, lichens, and the tender shoots and twigs of aspen trees. |
| PREDATOR | Wolves, mountain lions, grizzly and black bears. Coyotes and golden eagles prey upon young calves. |
| SHELTER | Elk live primarily on the plains in herds, but females go into forests to calve and hide newborns for the first few weeks. |
| REPRODUCTION | Elk live in herds of up to 60 animals that are attended by dominant bulls. The mating season is October to November, and calves are born about 9 months later. Calves are relatively helpless at birth and stay with the cow for about 9 months. |
| HUMAN IMPACT | Large herds that are protected from predators quickly overgraze meadows. |
