Roosevelt Elk (Wapiti)

Roosevelt Elk (Wapiti)

scientific Name

Cervus elaphus roosevelti

common name

Wapiti, Olympic Elk

size

Roosevelt elk measure 41⁄2 to 5 feet in height at the shoulder and 8 to10 feet in length. Males typically weigh from 600 to 1,000 pounds and females weigh around 350 to 650 pounds.

characteristics

Roosevelt elk are a brown or tan color with darker underparts. Their rump patches and tails are yellowish brown. Along with many-tined antlers that measure up to 5 feet, males also have a dark brown mane on their throat. Females do not have antlers.

behavior

Roosevelt elk are crepuscular, meaning they are active at dawn and dusk. They dig wallows in the ground with their hooves and antlers. During rut, the males will rub their antlers on saplings and shrubs. Their racks of antlers are also used as weapons in fights with other males for females. They are social animals and live in very large herds.

reproduction/life span

The breeding season, or "rut," occurs from late August to early October. Gestation lasts nearly nine months, after which time the cows leave the herd to give birth to single calves weighing 30 to 35 pounds (twins are very rare). After a week, the cows and calves return to the herd. Roosevelt elk live from 14 to 25 years.

diet

Roosevelt elk are primarily grazers and eat many plants.

habitat/range

Roosevelt elk live in the coastal and Cascade ranges of the Pacific Northwest. During summer, they are found in high, open mountain meadows, and in winter they move to lower wooded slopes, and can often be found in dense woods.

status

Roosevelt elk have a secure status. They are protected and regulated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Historically, elk were in danger of being overhunted. President Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first to try to protect the elk by creating the Olympic National Monument, now the Olympic National Forest, partly to protect the calving grounds and habitat of the native elk herds.