MAMMALS: HOOFED MAMMALS

Elk, Cervus elaphus

Family Cervidae (Deer, Elk, and Moose)

Size: 8' body; 5" tail (males larger than females)

Range: Throughout Colorado's mountains

Habitat: Mountainous forests, high meadows

The elk, also known as wapiti, is a large, gregarious member of the deer family. Its fur is short in the summer, longer in the winter, and colored pale rusty brown, with a darker neck and face. The rump is buff, surrounded by dark brown, with a pale, stubby tail. Males have a shaggy, dark mane about the neck, and large antlers with tines growing from a central beam. Usually active in the morning and evening, elk form large herds, sometimes numbering hundreds of individuals. They browse for grass, herbs, branches, and the tender inner bark of trees.