Roosevelt Elk, Jasper National Park by danapommet

Photography • Animals • posted on Aug 27, 2010

Open full image in new tab Zoom on image

Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.

Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.

Description

Early morning, outside the hotel, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti), also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America. They live in the forests of the Canadian Rockies, Pacific Northwest and were introduced to Alaska's Afognak and Raspberry islands in 1928. The desire to protect the elk was one of the primary driving forces behind the establishment of the Olympic National Park in 1909. Adults grow to around 6–10 feet (1.8–3 m) in length and stand 2.5–5 feet (0.75–1.5 m) tall at the shoulder. Elk bulls generally weigh between 700 and 1100 lb (300–500 kg) while cows weigh 575–625 lb (260–285 kg). Some mature bulls from Raspberry Island in Alaska have weighed nearly 1300 lb (600 kg). From late spring to early fall, Roosevelt Elk feed on herbaceous plants such as grasses and sedges. During winter months, they feed on woody plants including highbush cranberry, elderberry, and Devil's Club. Roosevelt Elk are also known to eat blueberry, mushrooms, and salmonberry. In the wild, Roosevelt Elk rarely live beyond 12 to 15 years. Info from Wikipedia. Zoom is good. Taken with a film camera (July & August 1988) and recently scanned. Thanks for stopping by, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated. Dana