The North American Elk
Elk are divided into six subspecies
- The Roosevelt Elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti). This elk is found in the Pacific coastal forests of northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver Island. It is a large-bodied elk which is larger and darker than Rocky Mountain elk.
- The Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni). This subspecies - population 800,000 - ranges from New Mexico to northcentral British Columbia. This elk has also been introduced into many places in North America and in the world.
- The Eastern Elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis)
- The Tule Elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes)
- The Merriam Elk (Cervus elaphus merriami), this species is extinct
- The Manitoban Elk (Cervus elaphus manitobensis)
Size
Elk are social animals, they gather together in groups. Cows, yearlings, and calves form herds of usually 25 or more animals. Although old bulls tend to go it alone, young bulls form small groups. These gatherings help protect the elk against predators. Bulls are 25% larger than females, their average height is 5 feet at the shoulder for 600 to 1089 pounds, versus 450 to 650 pounds for cows. This size difference is mainly due to hormones that governs growth and development. The difference is also partly due to the different roles of the sexes.
Elk Antlers
The major use of antlers is in sparring to set up dominance hierarchies and in battles with other bulls during the rut. They are also used to impress cows who tend to select mates with the most substantial antlers, herd cows, mark territory and defend against predators. Each antler consists of a main beam with long, sharp-pointed points. The main beam sweeps outward, upward, and backward. The points point forward. Bulls grow spikes in their second year which are about 8-15 inches long. In their third year, they grow a 4- or 5- point set of light-weight antlers called raghorn due to their spindly nature. Fourth year antlers are heavier. In their fifth year and beyond, antlers grow larger and heavier with 6 or more points per antler. Some say a normal set of antlers has 6 points per side, but what is considered normal here is rather subjective. Elk achieve their best antlers at about their eleventh or twelth year. An old bull's antlers may be 5 feet long and weigh 25-40 pounds. Elk with 10 points per antler have been observed. Antlers a bit more than 6 feet long have been recorded. After 11 or 12 years of age, antlers decline in quality and become smaller. Some old bulls have been observed with only spikes. Antler size and configuration is determined by heredity and available nutrition as well as age. Antlers are designed to catch a rival's rack and then to disengage smoothly after a joust. Rarely do antlers of two jousters become so entangled that they cannot be separated.
Antlers Growth
The increasing daylight of the early months of the year stimulates the release of hormones from the brain and anterior pituitary which cause the testes to produce the male sex hormone, testosterone. Testosterone stimulates the new growth of antlers, which begins in March or April for mature bulls and in May for younger bulls. Antlers develop from two protuberances called pedicles on top of the skull. While antlers are growing they are covered by a furry skin covering called velvet. The growing antlers and the velvet are supplied with oxygen and nutrients by a network of blood vessels. Growth and hardening of the antlers is completed in late July or August. In August, increased production of testosterone cuts off the blood supply to the antlers and velvet. The velvet dies, dries up, and peels away. Further removal of velvet from antlers occurs duing the rut. Among the testosterone-induced rut activities of the bull, which begin in late August or September, is the thrashing of antlers against sapling trees and shrubs which rubs off the velvet and polishes the antlers while staining them. The resulting antler color depends upon location.
Breeding Season
Breeding season is in late August to November. This is the time that bulls are in the rut and cows come into estrus. The time of breeding and the time of calving are both adaptations to the availability of forage. Calving season is late May into early June. Calves have the summer to grow and store up energy for the hard times of winter. In late summer, when the length of daylight is just right, testosterone production increases and causes the rut, an annual period of time during which bull elk are physiologically and behaviorally capable of reproduction, sperm are produced and bulls are sexually excited. It occurs during the breeding season, in the same time frame as estrus, its parallel in cows.
Basic Rutting Activities
Until late summer, a bull lives peacefully with the other bulls. With the rut, he views them with caution and antagonism. He becomes their rival in a mating game that decides which bulls will breed with the cows. A rutting bull is one vocal animal, he bugles a lot. He thrashes about in shrubs and saplings with his antlers to remove their dead, dried-up velvet. Perhaps in preparation for actual battling as well as a way to advertise his fitness, he engages brush, saplings, and shrubs in mock battles. Unfortunately, for many a bull, the game, for the most part, was over before it began. The winners are the dominant bulls, the largest, strongest and most behaviorally competent. The others can only stand on the fringes as the game is played out unless they are successful in stealing small numbers of cows from a herd. All bull elk rut and go through the rut's complex behavioral performance. To be dominant, a bull must be big and strong, an older bull in his prime, 5-12 years old. A bull's worth is not all in his antlers. His body size, strength, and aggressiveness are equally important. The determination of which bulls are dominant is important for the vigor of the species.
Gathering Cows into a Harem
A dominant bull gathers in a group of cows, called a harem, to which he claims all breeding rights. He will not give up that right without a fight. The work of gathering is reduced by the existence of herds of cows and by harems of other bulls. Besides fighting a harem bull and taking away all of his cows, a bull is not above sneaking cows away from another bull. Bulls are opportunistic; if a cow can be gotten, she will be. The gathering in of a harem is not the end of a bull's herding effort. He must constantly work to keep his cows together. Bulls are quite aggressive in keeping their cows together and moving them to where they want. They commonly move their cows by threat and push/shove, cutting the herd off as a cowboy on horseback would cut off a steer. A bull will use his antlers, which are quite sharp, to prod a wandering cow and direct her back to the herd. Since estrus lasts for only a short time, a bull must constantly be checking each cow to see if she is in estrus. When she is, he must mate with her as soon as possible.
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