MOOSE FACTS (PAGE 5)

MOOSE FACTS

(Elk and other deer)

Moose And Elk

The link between the moose and elk is an interesting one, that in the past has caused much confusion simply due to their respective regional names. The moose (in North America) and the elk (in Europe) are actually the same species of animal with differences analogous to those of different races within the human population.

Therefore there aren't really any moose, as such, in Europe though there are elk in N. America (see below).

The actual dictionary entry for ELK is :-

  1. The largest existing deer of Europe and Asia.

  2. North American wapiti.


The mighty elk

Elk Behaviour and Appearance

Weight: 250-450 kg
Height: 0.8-1.5 metres
Body length: 1.6-2.5 metres

Elk are smaller than moose. They range in colour from dark brown in winter to tan in summer though their head, neck, belly and legs are darker than the back and sides. Elk have a long head with large ears. Males have widely branching antlers, as long as 1.1-1.5 m from tip to tip, and are generally 10 percent larger than females and weigh twice as much.

Unlike moose, elk are very social animals. In the Summer months they can live in herds with as many as 400 individuals. These herds are matriarchical, dominated by a single cow.


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