Wapiti (elk)

와피티

The wapiti, or elk, is a large North American deer with a tan body and a dark neck. A bull regrows his antlers every year, and they can exceed a metre in length. In autumn the bulls make loud bugling calls.

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At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Northwest, USA
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 300 kg
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: forests, grasslands, mountains

Quick answers

Where does the Wapiti (elk) live?

It lives in forests, grasslands, mountains. On the globe you can find it near Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Northwest, USA.

How big is the Wapiti (elk)?

It grows to about 300 kg.

What does the Wapiti (elk) eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

Is the Wapiti (elk) endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The wapiti, also called the elk, is a large deer of North America and Central and East Asia. It is the second largest member of the deer family, after the moose. The name 'wapiti' comes from a Shawnee and Cree word meaning 'white rump', named for the pale patch around its tail.

It lives in open forests and forest edges, grazing on grass and sedges and browsing on twigs, leaves and bark. The card places it in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, where a well-known population lives. In summer and winter, herds move between high and low ground, which is why the species is described as migratory.

Antlers and bugling

A bull wapiti has huge antlers full of blood and nerves while they grow, and he sheds them every year when the weather warms up. New ones grow again for the next autumn.

In the mating season bulls bugle, a loud series of whistles, bellows and screams that tells other males who is boss and calls to females. They also spar by locking antlers. The animals may fluff up the pale rump patch to signal that they are scared.

Elk or red deer?

For a long time the wapiti was thought to be a kind of European red deer. Genetic studies, starting in 1998, showed they are two separate species. The wapiti has a wider rump patch and paler antlers.

In Europe, the word 'elk' originally meant the moose, but North American settlers used it for this deer. A bull's antlers can be longer than a metre, and they are the fastest-growing antlers in the deer family.

Fun facts

Males grow new antlers every year, and in autumn they make a loud whistling call known as 'bugling'.
The name 'wapiti' means 'white rump' in Shawnee and Cree.
Bulls shed and regrow their antlers every year.
In Europe, 'elk' means a different animal, the moose.