Mammals · Artiodactyla · Cervidae

Roosevelt Elk

Cervus canadensis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The wapiti is one of the largest deer in the world, surpassed only by the moose. For a long time it was regarded as a form of the European red deer, but genetic studies now recognise it as a species in its own right. It lives in herds segregated by sex for most of the year, which come together in autumn for the rut. It is one of the great recovery stories of North American wildlife: it almost disappeared in the nineteenth century and today numbers more than a million animals thanks to game management and reintroductions.

Weight

170 kg – 500 kg

Size

2 m – 2.8 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Crepuscular

Active above all at dawn and dusk.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestMountainGrasslandHerbivore Crepuscular In herds Temperate forest Mountain Grassland Mammal

12countries 24parks23same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe high bugling of the males in the rut carries for several kilometres.
The male's call, known as a bugle, is surprisingly high-pitched for an animal of half a tonne and can be heard for several kilometres along mountain valleys.
Its antlers can weigh 18 kilos and grow up to two and a half centimetres a day, one of the fastest-growing tissues known in any mammal.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Open woodland, mountain meadows and grassland
Size at birth: Precocial: on its feet within half an hour, although it stays hidden for the first few weeks
Sexual maturity: 16 months
Gestation / incubation: 8.5 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervus_canadensis

Where to find it

See its range on the interactive map

Best time: From September to October in the Rockies and in Yellowstone, during the rut, when the males give their very distinctive high-pitched bugle.