Origin
The infraorder Pecora comprises the totality of typical ruminants, with a fully developed stomach, divided into four compartments. With small exceptions (musk deer and dwarf musk deer, water deer), representatives of this infraorder have frontal bones provided with growths (usually only males), in the form of simple horns or branched horns.
The simple horns have a permanent growth and are formed by a horny mass, supported on a bone stump, and the branched ones are formed only by bone, without stratum corneum and change every year.
Elk is considered the national animal of Sweden and Norway. In both countries it is called The King of the forests, probably because of the form
horns that loosely bring with a crown. The state of New Hampshire is famous for its large population of Elk.
Elk Feed
The elk's food consists, with predilection, of leaves, bark of trees, thin branches and buds that they collect from the canopy, at height.
Sometimes it also feeds on aquatic vegetation, developed in swampy areas. It is estimated that an adult elk needs at 15 kg of food per day.
Elk Appearance
The branched horned animals are included in the family Cervidae. The Giants of the deer family are elk (Alces). They have a heavy conformation, tall legs, thick and short neck. Their horns are shaped like shovels. The nasal bones are regressed, which is why they have very large nostrils.
The upper, wide and low masses are perfectly similar to those of giraffes. The short and tall body is supported by strong legs, the front ones being noticeably higher. The coat color varies from grayish brown to dark tan, almost black.
Their spread is circumpolar. Elk live in the forests of the northern hemisphere, in the temperate and subarctic zone, covering an area that encompasses Scandinavia, Siberia and the northern half of North America. The most famous species are: american elk (Alces americanus), giant elk (A. gigas), eastern Siberian elk (A. pfizenmayeri) and european elk (A. alces).
The differences between these species are related to The Shape of the horns (the american elk has more palmed horns than the elk from Eurasia, e.g. Alaskan giant elk can reach a height of 2.4 m and a length of 3.2 m, the average size of elk is 1.8 m tall).
Elk Behavior
An adult moose has few enemies, but a pack of Wolves can be a threat, especially to females with Cubs. Siberian tiger and grizzly bear
they are known as Moose's natural enemies, although bears more frequently steal moose killed by wolves than hunt them themselves.
The domestication of elk was attempted in the U. R. S. S in the interwar period. The first experiments were inconclusive, but with the establishment of an elk farm at Pechora-Ilych in 1949, a small-scale domestication program was created, involving animal selection research based on individual characteristics.
Since 1963 , the program has continued at the Kostroma elk farm, which had a total of 33 domestic elk in 2003.
Elk Breeding
Annually, after the mating season, late autumn, the males lose their horns. In the spring, their place will be taken by a pair of new horns, whose growth lasts from 3 to 5 months (horns are among the fastest growing organs in the animal world).
If the male is castrated, he will lose the horns he possesses, instead of them growing atypical, deformed ones, which he will wear all his life.
After a period of 35-38 weeks after mating, the female at the first pregnancy gives birth to a single calf. At the following pregnancies, she may have a maximum of two calves, but this happens quite rarely. The calf remains next to its mother for about 2 years.
Unlike the common deer, which form their harem during mating, the moose, although polygamous, is limited to a single female. Nor is the nuptial parade as spectacular as the booing of the common deer, but it comes down to a Sonora momotona manifestation, a kind of nasal grunt.
