elk: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 4, 2026

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Facts

Also Known As	wapiti • American elk • Cervus elaphus canadensis

Photos and Videos

A male American elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S.

Male elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis).

A male American elk, or wapiti, lifts his head to sound a call.

Rocky Mountain National Park

elk shedding velvet

Examine the various changes undergone by an elk's coat from winter to summer and from nursing calves to adults who eventually separate to form new herds

Listen to the bugling call of an elk.

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