---
title: "What the sources say about the Elk | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "65 claims from the Elk profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Elk (*Cervus canadensis*)

> 65 claims from the Elk profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Elk](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/elk/)

## Brook et al. (2018). Cervus canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T55997823A142396828.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t55997823a142396828.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | Cervus canadensis is listed as Least Concern (note: stats.conservationStatus. Text hand-cached from the Red List page (assessed 25 January 2015, errata version 2019) by the orchestrator, because iucnredlist.org refuses scripts.) |

## Reby et al. (2016). Evidence of biphonation and source–filter interactions in the bugles of male North American wapiti (Cervus canadensis). Journal of Experimental Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.131219

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| puts the average male at 320 kg | With an average male body mass of 320 kg |
| calls the wapiti the largest living species of Old World deer | is the largest extant species of Old World deer (Cervinae) |
| Spectrograms of bugles point to two sound sources working at once | Our examination of spectrograms of male bugles suggested that the complex harmonic structure is best explained by a dual-source model (biphonation) |
| A bugle made of two sound sources at once | the complex harmonic structure is best explained by a dual-source model (biphonation) |
| One averages 145 Hz | with one source oscillating at a mean of 145 Hz (F0) |
| The other, averaging 1,426 Hz | the other oscillating independently at an average of 1426 Hz (G0) |
| best fits a whistle made as air rushes through a narrow gap above the vocal folds | the secondary, much higher source at G0 is more consistent with an aerodynamic whistle produced as air flows rapidly through a narrow supraglottic constriction (note: Supraglottic means above the glottis, the opening between the vocal folds. Writer's plain-words gloss of the term; the source names an aerodynamic whistle at a narrow supraglottic constriction.) |
| roughly ten times higher than the first | one source oscillating at a mean of 145 Hz (F0) and the other oscillating independently at an average of 1426 Hz (G0) (note: 1426 / 145 = 9.8.) |
| The researchers suspect the low part tells rivals about body size at close range, while the piercing whistle carries the bull's presence farther | We speculate that male wapiti have evolved such a dual-source phonation to advertise body size at close range (with a relatively low-frequency F0 providing a dense spectrum to highlight size-related information contained in formants) while simultaneously advertising their presence over greater distances using the very high-amplitude G0 whistle component |
| A 2016 study of wapiti calls | With an average male body mass of 320 kg (note: bugle-2016 is the 2016 Journal of Experimental Biology paper on wapiti bugles; the abstract on disk is the source of the 320 kg.) |
| A call with two voices | the complex harmonic structure is best explained by a dual-source model (biphonation) |
| Two voices in one throat | the complex harmonic structure is best explained by a dual-source model (biphonation) |
| Spectrograms suggest a bull elk's bugle holds two sounds at once | Our examination of spectrograms of male bugles suggested that the complex harmonic structure is best explained by a dual-source model (biphonation) (note: vibe.reason animal clause) |
| a low tone averaging 145 Hz | with one source oscillating at a mean of 145 Hz (F0) (note: vibe.reason animal clause) |
| a higher one averaging 1,426 Hz | the other oscillating independently at an average of 1426 Hz (G0) (note: vibe.reason animal clause) |

## Elk. Yellowstone National Park, National Park Service.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/elk.htm

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In Europe, "elk" is the word for a moose | the word “elk” to describe the animal, which is the word used in Europe for moose |
| which settlers in North America also called elk | European American settlers used the word “elk” to describe the animal |
| Its other name is wapiti, a Shawnee word for "white deer" | The Shawnee word “wapiti,” which means “white deer” or “white-rumped deer,” |
| bulls bugle to announce themselves to females and to challenge other bulls | Bulls bugle to announce their availability and fitness to females and to warn and challenge other bulls. |
| When two bulls answer each other, they sometimes crash antlers and shove | When answered, bulls move toward one another and sometimes engage in battle for access to the cows. They crash their antlers together, push each other intensely |
| The fights are loud and hard work, but they rarely cause serious injury | While loud and extremely strenuous, fights rarely cause serious injury. |
| Bulls carry antlers, and a cow very occasionally grows a pair too | Antlers are usually symmetrical and occur on males, or very occasionally females. |
| In a mature bull, growth takes about 140 days | longest for healthy, mature bulls (about 140 days) |
| In the second half of that time, the antlers add two-thirds of an inch (about 1.7 cm) a day | Roughly 70% of the antler growth takes place in the last half of the period, when the antlers of a mature bull will grow two-thirds of an inch each day. (note: 1.7 cm is the conversion of two-thirds of an inch.) |
| antlers regrow every year at up to two-thirds of an inch a day | Roughly 70% of the antler growth takes place in the last half of the period, when the antlers of a mature bull will grow two-thirds of an inch each day. (note: Tagline.) |
| 55 to 60 inches long and just under six feet wide | The antlers of a typical, healthy bull are 55–60 inches long, just under six feet wide, and weigh about 30 pounds per pair. |
| the pair weighs about 30 pounds | The antlers of a typical, healthy bull are 55–60 inches long, just under six feet wide, and weigh about 30 pounds per pair. |
| Antlered bulls usually settle disputes by wrestling, and they keep the antlers through winter | Bulls retain their antlers through the winter. When antlered, bulls usually settle disputes by wrestling with their antlers. |
| Yellowstone is summer range for an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 elk | Yellowstone provides summer range for an estimated 10,000–20,000 elk |
| they make up about 85% of the wolf kills there in winter | elk comprise approximately 85% of winter wolf kills and are an important food for bears, mountain lions |
| They are also an important food for bears and mountain lions | elk comprise approximately 85% of winter wolf kills and are an important food for bears, mountain lions |
| Most bulls drop them in March and April | Most bulls drop their antlers in March and April. New growth begins soon after. |
| new ones start growing soon after | Most bulls drop their antlers in March and April. New growth begins soon after. |
| Usually around early August the bull scrapes off the fuzzy skin covering the new antlers | Usually around early August, further hormonal changes signal the end of antler growth, and the bull begins scraping the velvet off, polishing and sharpening the antlers in the process. |
| which also polishes and sharpens them | Usually around early August, further hormonal changes signal the end of antler growth, and the bull begins scraping the velvet off, polishing and sharpening the antlers in the process. |
| Around Yellowstone the menu also includes aspen bark, conifer needles and aquatic plants | Feed on grasses, sedges, other herbs and shrubs, bark of aspen trees, conifer needles, burned bark, aquatic plants. |
| A bull sheds his old pair and grows a new one each year | The first result of this change is the casting or shedding of the previous year’s “rack.” Most bulls drop their antlers in March and April. New growth begins soon after. |
| One name, two animals | European American settlers used the word “elk” to describe the animal, which is the word used in Europe for moose (note: Heading: the same word names this animal in North America and the moose in Europe.) |
| tags: grassland | The high elevation grasslands of the park provide summer habitat for 10,000–20,000 elk. (note: #998) |

## Elk. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, National Park Service.

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/elk.htm

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| began bringing elk back in 2001 | The reintroduction of elk to the park began in 2001 |

## Elk. Rocky Mountain National Park, National Park Service.

https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/elk.htm

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A big bull can weigh 700 to 1,000 pounds | Large males, called bulls, can weigh 700-1000 pounds and stand five feet at the shoulder |
| roughly 320 to 450 kg | Large males, called bulls, can weigh 700-1000 pounds and stand five feet at the shoulder (note: Metric conversion of 700-1000 pounds (317 to 454 kg).) |
| He stands about five feet (1.5 m) tall at the shoulder | Large males, called bulls, can weigh 700-1000 pounds and stand five feet at the shoulder (note: 1.5 m is the conversion of five feet.) |
| measures about eight feet from nose to tail | They are about 8 feet long from nose to tail. |
| Cows are smaller, at 300 to 500 pounds | They weigh around 300-500 pounds |
| The sound starts deep, rises to a squeal, then drops into grunts | a crescendo of deep, resonant tones that rise rapidly to a high-pitched squeal before dropping to a series of grunts |
| Elk mostly graze on grasses and forbs | Elk primarily graze on grasses and forbs but they also browse shrubs. |
| Grasses and forbs, plus shrubs | Elk primarily graze on grasses and forbs but they also browse shrubs. |
| they also browse shrubs | Elk primarily graze on grasses and forbs but they also browse shrubs. |
| In the Rocky Mountains, herds climb to high country in summer and drop to lower ground in winter | In the summer, herds move to higher elevations to feed on tundra vegetation, while in the winter they move down to lower elevations |
| Meadows and forest edges in North America | Look for elk in meadows and where meadow and forest meet. (note: North America: the Yellowstone page says most scientists refer to elk in North America as Cervus canadensis.) |
| on high mountain summer range and lower winter valleys | In the summer, herds move to higher elevations to feed on tundra vegetation, while in the winter they move down to lower elevations |
| Elk in the wild live 10 to 13 years | Free roaming elk have a lifespan of 10-13 years in the wild. |
| Around Rocky Mountain National Park, settlers hunted them hard | they hunted elk intensively, sending much of the meat to market in Denver. |
| by 1890 few, if any, were left | By 1890 few, if any, elk remained. |
| In 1913 and 1914 people moved 49 elk in from Yellowstone | In 1913 and 1914, before the national park's establishment, the Estes Valley Improvement Association and United States Forest Service transplanted 49 elk from Yellowstone National Park to this area. |
| A calf weighs about 30 pounds (roughly 14 kg) and is born spotted, from late May into June | Elk calves are born from late May into June and weigh about 30 pounds. (note: 14 kg is the conversion of 30 pounds. Spots: 'Newborns have spots' on the same page.) |
| is born spotted | Newborns have spots, which fade away by late summer. |
| It can join the herd after two weeks, and it is weaned at two months old | Calves can join the herd after two weeks and are weaned at two months old. |
| About 20 pounds (9 kg) of plants on average | They eat an average of 20 pounds of vegetation daily. (note: 9 kg is the conversion of 20 pounds.) |
| tags: forest | Look for elk in meadows and where meadow and forest meet. (note: #998) |
| dangerLevel: High | Cows are extremely protective of their calves so use caution around elk at this time of year. (note: #998; capability reading, as moose and bison) |

## Tian (2019). Winter home range of the Manchurian wapiti (Cervus canadensis xanthopygus) based on noninvasive sampling. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research.

https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1706_1557315583

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| and parts of China | The current distribution of Manchurian wapiti is mainly limited to some parts of Northeast China (Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Jilin Provinces), Ningxia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Tibet (note: #998 habitat line) |
| It lives in Asia too: one subspecies, the Manchurian wapiti, survives in parts of China, from the north-east to Tibet. | The current distribution of Manchurian wapiti is mainly limited to some parts of Northeast China (Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Jilin Provinces), Ningxia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Tibet (note: #998; the paper names it Cervus canadensis xanthopygus) |