Elk Cervus canadensis Least concern
Where the elk lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 6,614 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See deer on the world map
Where does the elk live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the elk in 4 countries and territories across Asia, Europe and North America. Wikidata gives its range as: People's Republic of China, Russia, Canada, Korea, Kazakhstan, United States, Mongolia.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
Is the elk endangered?
The elk’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the elk?
The elk (Cervus canadensis) is a mammal in the order Artiodactyla and the family Cervidae, genus Cervus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the elk
The elk (pl.: elk or elks; Cervus canadensis) or wapiti (pronounced ) is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The word "elk" originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists.
The name "wapiti" is derived from a Shawnee and Cree word meaning "white rump", after the distinctive light fur around the tail region which the animals may fluff-up or raise to signal their agitation or distress to one another, when fleeing perceived threats, or among males courting females and sparring for dominance. A similar trait is seen in other artiodactyl species, like the bighorn sheep, pronghorn and the white-tailed deer, to varying degrees.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Elk (revision 1375970035), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q180404 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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