roosevelt elk
{{Short description|Subspecies of deer}}
{{Subspeciesbox
| name = Roosevelt Elk
| image = Roosevelt_Elk_at_Northwest_Trek.jpg
| image_caption = Male (bull) at Northwest Trek, Washington, US
| image2 = Roosevelt Elk.jpg
| image2_caption = Female (cow) at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, US
| genus = Cervus
| species_link = Elk
| species = canadensis
| subspecies = roosevelti
| status = T4
| status_system = TNC
| synonyms = Cervus elaphus roosevelti
| authority = Merriam, 1897
}}
The Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti), also known commonly as the Olympic elk and Roosevelt's wapiti, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk (Cervus canadensis) in North America by body mass. Mature bulls weigh from {{cvt|700|to|1200|lbs}}. with very rare large bulls weighing more.Dr. Mike Jenkins, 2005 Its geographic range includes temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest including parts of northern California. It was introduced to Alaska's Afognak, Kodiak, and Raspberry Islands in 1928{{cite web | url = http://coastalinletadventures.com/bc-roosevelt-elk-hunting-british-columbia-canada.htm | title = Guided Roosevelt Elk Hunting in BC | website = Coastal Inlet Adventures | date = 17 December 2019 | access-date = 26 July 2021 }}
{{cite book
| editor = Nancy Gates
| title = The Alaska Almanac: Facts about Alaska 30th Anniversary Edition
| date = November 2006
| publisher = Alaska Northwest Books
| isbn = 0-88240-652-3
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/alaskaalmanac0000unse
{{cite book
| last = Rennick
| first = Penny
| title = Mammals of Alaska
| date = November 1996
| publisher = Alaska Geographic Society
| isbn = 1-56661-034-6
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/mammalsofalaskac0000unse
}} and reintroduced to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast from Vancouver Island in 1986.
Naming and protection
In December 1897, mammalogist C. Hart Merriam named the subspecies after his friend Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the US Navy.{{cite book | title = The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt | chapter = The Hot Weather Secretary | pages = 565–590 | last = Morris | first = Edmund | author-link = Edmund Morris (writer) | date = 1979 | isbn = 0-698-10783-7 | publisher = Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc. | location = New York}}{{rp|589}} The desire to protect the Roosevelt elk was one of the primary forces behind the establishment of the Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Later in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the region and saw the elk named after his relative.{{cite web | last = Houston | first = Douglas |author2=Jenkins, Kurt | title=Roosevelt Elk Ecology|url=http://fresc.usgs.gov/text/olympic/research/indivproj.asp?OFSProj_ID=13| access-date=2007-12-28 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100527213521/http://fresc.usgs.gov/text/olympic/research/indivproj.asp?OFSProj_ID=13 | archive-date = 27 May 2010}} The following year he created Olympic National Park.
Description
The Roosevelt elk grows to around {{cvt|6–10|ft|m|1}} in length and stands {{cvt|2.5–5.6|ft|m|2}}{{cite book|author=Arsenault, Anthony Alan |year=2008|title=Saskatchewan Elk (Cervus elaphus) Management Plan - Update", "1.1.2 - Physical Description", Fish and Wildlife Technical Report 2008-03|publisher=Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Fish, and Wildlife Branch |page=2}} tall at the withers. Roosevelt elk bulls generally weigh between {{convert|700|and|1100|lb|kg}}, while cows weigh {{cvt|575–625|lb|kg}}. Some mature bulls from Raspberry Island in Alaska have weighed nearly {{cvt|1300|lb|kg|0}}.
{{cite book
| last = Robb
| first = Bob
| title = The Ultimate Guide to Elk Hunting
|date=January 2001
| publisher = The Lyons Press
| isbn = 1-58574-180-9
}}
Although the largest elk subspecies by body mass, by antler size both the Boone and Crockett (rifle){{cite web|url=https://www.boone-crockett.org/bc-worlds-record-roosevelts-elk |title=B&C World's Record|website=Boone and Crockett Club|date=27 October 2016 }} and Pope and Young (bow){{cite web|url=https://pope-young.org/World-Records |title=World's Records[sic]|website=Pope and Young Club}} records have Rocky Mountain elk being larger; none of the top 10 Roosevelt elk would score in the top 20 of Pope and Young's Rocky Mountain elk.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}
Diet
From late spring to early fall, the Roosevelt elk feeds upon herbaceous plants, such as grasses and sedges. During winter months, it feeds on woody plants, including highbush cranberry, elderberry, devil's club, and newly planted seedlings (Douglas fir and western redcedar). The Roosevelt elk is also known to eat ferns, blueberries, mushrooms, lichens, and salmonberries.
Longevity
In the wild, the Roosevelt elk rarely lives beyond 12 to 15 years, but in captivity it has been known to live over 25 years. In 2018, the New York State Zoo had a Roosevelt elk named Rosie die in August of that year at the age of 26, which means it was one of the oldest at that time.
Reintroduction
This elk subspecies, Cervus canadensis roosevelti, was reintroduced to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast from Vancouver Island in 1986.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Merriam CH (1897). "Cervus roosevelti, a New Elk from the Olympics". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 11: 271–275. (Cervus roosevelti, new species, "Roosevelt's Wapiti").
External links
{{Commons category|Cervus canadensis roosevelti}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929121011/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=0de834b1-eee6-47a3-8404-a94a8cf38630&k=27375 Return of the elk to the B.C. Lower Mainland]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1060769}}
{{Authority control}}