![]() Įlk are "habitat generalists" and occur in a variety of habitats including grasslands, wetlands, shrublands, and forests in various stages of succession. Outside of North America, elk occur in Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. As of this writing (2011), most elk populations occur in the West, from Vancouver Island east to southern Saskatchewan, ![]() ![]() In the 1900s, elk were reintroduced in parts of their native range where they had been extirpated and introduced in some areas outside of their known historical range in Arizona and Alaska. Elk were extirpated from large parts of their historic range in North America by the late 1800s and early 1900s (see Status and threats). Historically, elk occurred from northern British Columbia east to New York, south to South Carolina, and west to southern California, with disjunct populations likely extending south into Mexico. United States: AR, AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, KY, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, NN, NV, OR, PA, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY NatureServe provides a distributional map of elk.Įlk occur in the following states and provinces (as of 2011) : This review synthesizes information about elk at the species level.ĭISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE SPECIES: Cervus elaphusĮlk are native to North America. See O'Gara and Geist for more information about subspecies distinctions. Translocations have led to intermixing of subspecies in some areas, and subspecies likely interbreed where they coexist. Cronin found no variation in mitochondrial DNA among Manitoban, Rocky Mountain, and tule elk populations. Meredith and others found that Roosevelt, tule, and Rocky Mountain elk were genetically differentiated enough to warrant subspecies status, whereas Polziehn and others found variation in mitochondrial DNA that supported the recognition of Roosevelt elk and tule elk as distinct subspecies, but concluded that Rocky Mountain elk and Manitoban elk should be combined. However, the distinction of North American subspecies has been brought into question by genetic analyses. Subspecies are distinguished by body size, pelage color, skull form and dentition, size and shape of antlers, behavior, and geographical distribution. ![]() Twenty-two subspecies of elk are recognized globally, 4 of whichĬervus elaphus manitobensis Millais, Manitoban elkĬervus elaphus nannodes Merriam, tule elkĬervus elaphus nelsoni Bailey, Rocky Mountain elkĬervus elaphus roosevelti Merriam, Roosevelt elk The scientific name of elk is Cervus elaphus Linnaeus (Cervidae) Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Photo courtesy of John McColgan, Alaska Fire Service, Bureau of Land Management. ![]()
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