I live north of Jackson in one of the largest migration routs of one of the largest elk herds in the world. This heard is called the Jackson Elk heard. The scientific name for a elk is a Wapity. The heard consists of approximately 13,000 elk. Elk winter in Jackson form October November through April. In the summer approximately up to 150 miles away in the lower part of Yellowstone. Elk have antlers. Not horns. The bulls or the males grow the antlers, the female do not. The antlers are shed or dropped each year and grown back each year. The first or older bull elk loose there antlers early march. It takes 140 days to regrow the antlers each year. Antlers can grow up to one inch each day. They can weigh up to 25 pounds per side, or 50 pounds per elk.
Bull elk generally live seven to nine years in the wild, and cows can live twelve to fifteen years. The oldest cow elk that has ever been on the refugee was twenty eight years old. How you can tell how old a elk is, is by looking at the wear on the teeth. Or take one of the teeth out after they die, take one of the teeth out, cut it in half and count the rings like you would a tree. Elk graze on grass the same as buffalo and beef cattle and have a four chambered stomach. And they chew there cud the same as beef cows. In the summer time a elk will eat up to 20 pounds of feed a day and in the winter 14-16 pounds a day. Elk also have one of the neatest teeth of any animal, they are made of ivory. The same as a elephant or a walrus tusk. Each elk, male and female, have only two teeth on the top in the front of their mouth.
As the elk leave in the spring, sometime after April, the calves are born, late may or early June. The calves are 9 month gustation. The cows generally have one calf per year but can have twins. Calves weigh 25-30 pounds at birth, and do not have any smell when they are fist born so the predators can not smell them. They are covered with spots to be able to hide in the vegetation. And within the first 2 weeks of their life they can run up to 30-35 miles per hour. They will stay with their mother the first year of their life or until the next calf is born.
Elk have one of the best meats for us as humans to eat, its one of the most healthy. This is because the meat doesn’t marble. The fat does not get into the meat. A male elk can weigh up to 800 pounds and females can weigh up to 600. That gives us a lot of meat to harvest. A wolf depends highly upon a elk heard. Each wolf will eat up to two elk per wolf per month.
Bull elk generally live seven to nine years in the wild, and cows can live twelve to fifteen years. The oldest cow elk that has ever been on the refugee was twenty eight years old. How you can tell how old a elk is, is by looking at the wear on the teeth. Or take one of the teeth out after they die, take one of the teeth out, cut it in half and count the rings like you would a tree. Elk graze on grass the same as buffalo and beef cattle and have a four chambered stomach. And they chew there cud the same as beef cows. In the summer time a elk will eat up to 20 pounds of feed a day and in the winter 14-16 pounds a day. Elk also have one of the neatest teeth of any animal, they are made of ivory. The same as a elephant or a walrus tusk. Each elk, male and female, have only two teeth on the top in the front of their mouth.
As the elk leave in the spring, sometime after April, the calves are born, late may or early June. The calves are 9 month gustation. The cows generally have one calf per year but can have twins. Calves weigh 25-30 pounds at birth, and do not have any smell when they are fist born so the predators can not smell them. They are covered with spots to be able to hide in the vegetation. And within the first 2 weeks of their life they can run up to 30-35 miles per hour. They will stay with their mother the first year of their life or until the next calf is born.
Elk have one of the best meats for us as humans to eat, its one of the most healthy. This is because the meat doesn’t marble. The fat does not get into the meat. A male elk can weigh up to 800 pounds and females can weigh up to 600. That gives us a lot of meat to harvest. A wolf depends highly upon a elk heard. Each wolf will eat up to two elk per wolf per month.
1 comment:
Great description of the adaptations the elk have that allow them to survive on their diet. To add more depth, descirbe some of the other adaptations they have that allow them to survive in their area (how do they survive the cold, etc.) Proof read for small typos!
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