MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



General Description. — A large member of the deer 

 family, the m.ale with massive antlers shed annually, 

 the female hornless and smaller. Weight of adult 

 bull, 600 pounds or more. Color, yellowish-gray to 

 tawny-brown. Tail short. A fine, well-proportioned 

 animal standing about five feet at the shoulders. Greg- 

 arious in habit. 



Dental Formula. — Incisors. ^*^°; Canines, '^^'' Pre- 



molars, _ : Molars 



Pelage. — Adults. 

 ation, but female generally with the dark colored parts 

 paler than in the male. General body color tawny- 

 brown varying with the individual. Head, neck, cliest 

 and under parts darker brown to nearly black ; legs 

 clove-brown. A large conspicuous straw-colored patch 

 on rump, surroundin.g tail. Hairs on neck long and 

 forming a shaggy mane. Hairs everywhere rather long 

 and coarse. Young. Tawny spotted with white until 

 the first fall, when pelage resembling that of the adults 

 is assumed. 



Measurements. — Total length 8 feet for male, 7 feet 

 for female. Tail 8 inches. Height at shoulder 5 feet. 

 Weight, male, 600 to 700 pounds. Horns of a record 

 bull 64 and 66 inches along the beam. 



Range. — Formerly from the Atlantic Ocean to the 

 Rocky Mountains. Now limited generally to western 



WAPITI, OR AMERICAN ELK 



Cervus canadensis {Erxleben) 



Canada. Montana. Wyoming, Colorado, and the Pacific 

 Coast. 



Food. — .A variety of grasses, leaves and buds. 



Remarks. — The ,'\merican Elk is not to be confused 

 with the Elk of the Old W orld. an animal more nearly 

 related to the North .American Moose. With the 

 exception of the Moose, the Wapiti is the largest of 

 the American deer family. All of the diliferent vari- 

 eties of Wapiti are variations of the same general 

 color pattern and contour. 



- Incisors. — ; Canines 



4—4 

 . '—=34. 

 Sexes essentiallv similar in color 



Rel.^ted Species 



American Elk, or Wapiti. — Cervus canadensis can- 

 iidcnsis (Erxleben). The typical form just described. 

 Eastern North America to the Rockies, but today 

 extinct over eastern portion of this range. 



Western Wapiti. — Cervus canadensis occidentalis 

 (Ham. .'■'mith). Darker in coloration. Extreme west- 

 ern North .\merica. 



Merriam Elk. — Cervus nierriami Nelson. Nose 

 darker, head and legs redder than canadensis. Moun- 

 tains of western New Mexico and eastern .Arizona. 

 Probably extinct. 



California Wapiti. — Cervus nannodes (Merriam). 

 Smallest of the Elk; pale. Known only in California, 

 and nearing extinction. 



Bi' permission of the New York Zuul(ji^i^.il Sijeict\' 



WAPITI, OR ELK 



The American " Elk " is, next to the Moose, the largest of the Deer family, and is easily the handsomest. 



It has superb widely branching antlers 



