Elk Herds
Elk are one of Wisconsin’s most interesting animals. They only live in 24 states in the US and in some parts of Canada. About one million live in North America now, and that may sound like a lot, but it’s only about 10% of what the population was before European settlers made their way across the continent. Of the six species, two became extinct after western expansion. Conservation in recent years has helped the number increase – there were only 90,000 elk in the world in 1900. Some new herds have been brought to Wisconsin by conservationists, and other herds have been helped to grow. Here are some cool elk facts you can use to impress your family and friends!

• A newborn elk weighs just 35 pounds, but an adult elk can grow to be 500 to 700 pounds.

• A single pair of antlers can weigh up to 40 pounds.

• Elk eat grass; small, low-growing, soft-stemmed plants; and parts of woody plants in the amount of 10 to 15 pounds of vegetation a day.

• Elk have four stomachs and chew their cud like a cow, and this is what makes them different from their cousin the moose. Moose only have one stomach.

• Some scientists think that this kind of digestive system developed to help keep the elk safe from predators. It is easier for a predator to attack an elk while it is standing eating grass, but if an elk can chew its cud, it can fill one of its stomachs and then go hide in safety in the underbrush.

• Cows, calves and yearling elk live together in loose herds most of the year, but adult bulls live in small bachelor groups or alone away from the female herds until mating season.

• When elk walk, their joints make a slight knuckle-cracking noise. This helps the other herd members know where they are. They also communicate by sounds (like squeals, barks, and bugles), scent, and body posture.

• Elk have four toes. Two are found on the back of the hoof and are called dew claw. They’re just there for balance. Elk walk on the front two claws and get speed by running on their tip-toes!

• The Shawnee word for elk “Wapiti” means “white rump” because elk are dark brown or black all over their body and legs except for a large white patch on their rumps.