Elk

Cervus canadensis

Classification

Conservation Status

  • Females are called cows and males are called bulls. Elk can weigh over 700lbs and run up to 40 mph. 
  • Elk are strict vegetarians. 
  • The last wild elk was killed in Tennessee in the 1800s. In the Cumberland River Basin, these animals have been reintroduced into the Elk and Bison Prairie within Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. 
  • In September and October, the high-pitched bugling of bulls can be heard during the elk rut, as males strut and spar with one another over cows.