There has long been confusion over the names elk and wapiti as applied to Cervus Canadensis. European who first came to America knew about the European moose (elk in Europe) and also familiar with European red deer.
Originally occupying the more northerly parts of North America from coast to coast, the elk is now largely confined to western regions where it lives in loosely organized herds that migrated to mountain summer ranges in May and June, and back to the lowlands in November.
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| Cervus canadensis |
Elk have been classified by biologists into at least six subspecies:
*Eastern (Cervus Canadensis canadensis)
*Rocky Mountain (Cervus nelsoni)
*Roosevelt (Cervus canadensis roosevelti)
*Manitoban (Cervus canadensis manitobensis)
*Merriam (Cervus canadensis merriami)
*Tule (Cervus nannodes)
Eastern elk was native to Arkansas but became extinct by the 1840s. Elk populations across North America once numbered in million s but over hunting and habitat disruption have reduced the populations.
The Rocky maintains Elk was then introduced in 1933. Elk prefer semi-open forested areas in mountains, mountain meadows and foothills. They are found at higher elevations during the summer and generally migrate to lower elevations with the first heavy snowfall. For a large mammal, elk are quite elusive.
Elk (Cervus canadensis)
