

But what if the injury happened when the elk was. When the males fight for mates they rub off all of their velvet by bashing their antlers together during fights of dominance.Įlk antlers have six tines, or branches, total. A bull elk prone to such injuries might not be the agile, athletic male that a female wishes to sire her young. New antlers are covered with a soft coating called velvet. They are also called red deer.īulls grow new antlers every year. This is a Native American word meaning "light-colored deer," according to National Geographic. In midwestern states, white-tailed deer, elk and moose have antlers. Antlers are branched bones that are shed every year. Image Details Animals in the deer family grow antlers. Our Associate portal can be found here You’ll probably hear female elk or male elk to distinguish this deer species’ sexes, but what is a female elk called Elk females are called cows, while male elks are called bulls. Point 1: Antlers are not horns A moose pair at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northern Minnesota. There are more than 750,000 elk today in the United States and Canada, according to the Smithsonian. 5 Conclusion 5.1 Related posts: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Cervus elaphus yarkandensis (Yarkland deer)Įlks are not endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, because the population is increasing, overall, and it has a wide distribution.Cervus elaphus macneilli (McNeill's deer).Cervus elaphus corsicanus (Corsican red deer).Cervus elaphus barbarous (Barbary deer).

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Cervinae Genus: Cervus Species: Cervus elaphus Subspecies: Here is the taxonomy of elk according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS): They tend to live around eight to 12 years, though they sometimes live to more than 20 years. Elk are ready to mate around 16 months of age. After 16 days the calf will join the herd and complete weaning by 60 days of age, according to the ADW. (14 to 16 kg) when they are born.Īfter just 20 minutes, a calf can stand on its own. Elk babies are called calves and weigh around 31 to 35 lbs. All trophies entered in the Boone & Crockett Club and/or the Pope & Young Club taken from Montana will automatically be entered in the Montana Big Game Records Book. A cow usually gives birth to one baby at a time after a six-month gestation period. Males are called bulls and females are called cows. Learn more about Rocky Mountain elk in Colorado here.Elk congregate on the Camp Creek Feed Ground in northwestern Wyoming. Only the males have antlers, and the Rocky Mountain species has the largest antlers. When fully grown, elk bulls weigh 700 pounds and are eight feet long from nose to tail. It was a difficult task, but they got it out! Good luck out there, young bull!”Ĭolorado has the largest elk population in the world with over 280,000 elk calling the Centennial State home. “We want to thank the forest service for reporting this animal in distress and our wildlife officers for their quick thinking. The park thanked everyone involved in the rescue. Good luck out there, young bull! /cLuq7圎LPv It was a difficult task, but they got it out! Antlers are among the most identifiable characteristics of species of the deer family, Cervidae, which comprises caribou, elk, moose, mule deer and. We want to thank the forest service for reporting this animal in distress and our wildlife officers for their quick thinking. Slowly, the elk emerged from the deep mud. It took a few tries to figure out the best placing for the straps, which ended up being at the base of his antlers. “After a few failed attempts, it was decided to use a four-wheeler and two ratchet straps to assist in the effort,” shared the park. They realized they were going to need more power. Their first attempt to rescue the elk involved them grabbing his antlers and trying to pull him free, but it did not work. Miedema and fellow wildlife officer Tyler Cerny responded to the area and found the young bull elk stuck up to its neck in mud and unable to get out. Forest Service about this small bull being stuck. Wildlife officer William Miedema took a call from the U.S. Miedema and fellow wildlife officer Tyler Cerny responded to the area and found the young bull elk stuck up to its neck in mud and unable to get out.” The park tweeted, “Wildlife officer William Miedema took a call from the U.S. That was exactly what Colorado Park and Wildlife- Southwest Region officers did when they encountered a young elk bull trapped in deep mud. As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
