Roosevelt elk
Roosevelt Elk | |
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Male (bull) at Northwest Trek, Washington, US | |
Female (cow) at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, US | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Cervidae |
Subfamily: | Cervinae |
Genus: | Cervus |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | C. c. roosevelti
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Trinomial name | |
Cervus canadensis roosevelti Merriam, 1897
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Synonyms | |
Cervus elaphus roosevelti |
The Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti), also known commonly as the Olympic elk and Roosevelt's wapiti, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk (Cervus canadensis) in North America by body mass.[2] Mature bulls weigh from 700 to 1,200 lb (320 to 540 kg). with very rare large bulls weighing more.[3] Its geographic range includes temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest including parts of northern California. It was introduced to Alaska's Afognak, Kodiak, and Raspberry Islands in 1928[4][5][6] and reintroduced to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast from Vancouver Island in 1986.[4]
In December 1897, mammalogist
Description
The Roosevelt elk grows to around 6–10 ft (1.8–3 m) in length and stands 2.5–5.6 ft (0.75–1.7 m)[9] tall at the withers.[6] Roosevelt elk bulls generally weigh between 700 and 1,100 lb (300–500 kg), while cows weigh 575–625 lb (260–285 kg).[2] Some mature bulls from Raspberry Island in Alaska have weighed nearly 1,300 lb (600 kg).[2]
Although the largest elk subspecies by body mass, by antler size both the Boone and Crockett (rifle) and Pope and Young (bow) records have Rocky Mountain elk being larger; none of the top 10 Roosevelt elk would score in the top 20 of Pope and Young's Rocky Mountain elk.[10]
Diet
From late spring to early fall, the Roosevelt elk feeds upon
Longevity
In the wild, the Roosevelt elk rarely lives beyond 12 to 15 years, but in captivity it has been known to live over 25 years.
Reintroduction
This elk subspecies, Cervus canadensis roosevelti, was reintroduced to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast from Vancouver Island in 1986.[4]
See also
References
- ^ NatureServe. 2016. Cervus elaphus roosevelti, Merriam's Elk. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101331/Cervus_elaphus_roosevelti. Accessed 9 December 2021.
- ^ a b c
Robb, Bob (January 2001). The Ultimate Guide to Elk Hunting. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-180-9.
- ^ Dr. Mike Jenkins, 2005
- ^ a b c "Guided Roosevelt Elk Hunting in BC". Coastal Inlet Adventures. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^
Nancy Gates, ed. (November 2006). The Alaska Almanac: Facts about Alaska 30th Anniversary Edition. Alaska Northwest Books. ISBN 0-88240-652-3.
- ^ a b c d e f
Rennick, Penny (November 1996). Mammals of Alaska. Alaska Geographic Society. ISBN 1-56661-034-6.
- ISBN 0-698-10783-7.
- ^ Houston, Douglas; Jenkins, Kurt. "Roosevelt Elk Ecology". Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ Arsenault, Anthony Alan (2008). "Saskatchewan Elk (Cervus elaphus) Management Plan - Update", p.2: "1.1.2 - Physical Description", Fish and Wildlife Technical Report 2008-03, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Fish, and Wildlife Branch
- ^ https://pope-young.tier32.com/
Further reading
- Merriam CH (1897). "Cervus roosevelti, a New Elk from the Olympics". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 11: 271–275. (Cervus roosevelti, new species, "Roosevelt's Wapiti").