The Manitoban elk (''Cervus canadensis manitobensis'') is a subspecies of
elk
The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the 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 common ...
found in the
Midwestern United States (specifically
North Dakota) and southern regions of the
Canadian Prairies (specifically
Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, and north-central
Alberta). In 2001–2002, a breeding population of 52 Manitoban elk was also introduced into the
Cataloochee valley of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in
North Carolina to replace a population of
Eastern elk which had gone extinct over 100 years prior. As of 2021, the population has grown to 150-200 individuals and has expanded their range outside of their initial protected region. In 2016, one of the elk from the North Carolina herd was spotted in South Carolina, the first time an elk had been seen in that state since the late 1700s.
Compared to the
Rocky Mountain elk, it is larger in body size, but has smaller antlers. The subspecies was driven into near extinction by 1900, but has recovered since then.
The Manitoban elk's primary predator is the
grey wolf. Because the elk is a non-migratory species, it cannot rely on long-distance migration to reduce the risk of predation, and therefore uses a combination of behavioral patterns, such as aggregation, movement, and vigilance, to avoid predation.
Weight
The study of Blood and Lovaas (1966) gave the whole weights of 19 Manitoban Elk collected in
Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba. Of these, 8 were adult males and 4 were adult females. The adults males ranged in weight from 634 lbs or 287,5 kg
3 years 1 month old bull killed in Juneto 1053 lbs or 477,6 kg
8 years 7 months old bull killed in December The mean weights of these 8 adult males was 777 lbs or 352,4 kg. However, the inclusion of the exceptionally large bull and the small sample size make this referential weight data less representative than with a bigger sample (see :
Sample size determination
Sample size determination is the act of choosing the number of observations or replicates to include in a statistical sample. The sample size is an important feature of any empirical study in which the goal is to make inferences about a populatio ...
for more details). For instance, the second largest bull measured was 165 lbs or 74,8 kg lighter than the heaviest. The 4 adult females weighed in the study had a mean weight of 606 lbs or 274,8 kg.
See also
*
Roosevelt elk
*
Tule elk
*
Red deer
*
Sika deer
References
Elk and red deer
Mammals of Canada
Mammals of the United States
Fauna of the Great Plains
Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States)
Canadian Prairies
Natural history of Manitoba
Pre-Columbian Great Plains cuisine
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