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Jon Sullivan, June, 2003.
Elk are the most abundant large mammal found
in Yellowstone
National Park and paleontological evidence confirms their
continuous presence for at least 1,000 years.
Yellowstone
National Park was established in
1872, when market hunting of all large grazing animals was rampant. Not
until after 1886, when the U.S. Army was called in to protect the park and
Fort
Yellowstone was established, was wildlife slaughter brought under
control and the large animals increased in number.
Today, more than 30,000 elk from 7-8 different herds summer in
Yellowstone
and approximately 15,000 to 22,000 winter in the park. The subspecies of
elk that lives here are found from Arizona to northern Canada along the
Rocky Mountain chain; other species of elk were historically distributed
from coast to coast, but disappeared from the eastern United States in the
early 1800's. Adult males, or bulls, range upwards of 700 pounds while
females, or cows, average 500-525 pounds. Their coats are reddish brown
with heavy, darker-colored manes and a distinct yellowish rump patch.
Bulls grow antlers annually from the time they are nearly one year old.
When mature, a bull’s "rack" may have 6 to 8 points or tines on each side
and weigh more than 30 pounds. The antlers are usually shed in March or
April, and begin regrowing in May, when the bony growth is nourished by
blood vessels and covered by furry-looking "velvet." Antler growth ceases
each year by August, when the velvet dries up and bulls begin to scrape it
off by rubbing against trees, in preparation for the autumn mating season
or rut. A bull may gather 20-30 cows into his harem during the mating
season, often clashing or locking antlers with another mature male for the
privilege of dominating the herd group. By November, mating season ends
and elk generally move to their winter ranges. Calves weighing 25-40
pounds are born in late May or early June.
Climate is the most important factor affecting the size and distribution
of elk herds here. Nearly the whole park -- approximately 2.2 million acres
- provides summer range for elk. However, winter snowfalls force elk and
other ungulates to leave the greater part of the park. Only the northern,
lower-elevation portion of
Yellowstone, where temperatures are more
moderate and snowfall less than in the park interior, can support large
numbers of wintering elk. Annual precipitation, which occurs mostly as
snow, averages as high as 75" in the southern, high-mountain plateaus of
the park; minimum temperatures there are often well below 0° F, and have
been as low as -66° F. In contrast, most of the northern range averages
less than 30" of precipitation annually, and winter temperatures are
considerably warmer.
Compiled and
edited by
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated January,
2010.
Primary Source: National Park Service
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