Rocky Mountain Elk
(Adopted 1971)

Large deer with a pale brown yellowish rump, short tail, dark brown legs, belly, neck, and head. Males have a shaggy neck mane and, in late summer and autumn, a set of large, spreading antlers. Usually seen in groups of 25 or more, with old males in separate groups in summer and both sexes together in winter. Feed in semi-open forests and mountain meadows in summer, descending to valleys in winter. Males bugle and battle for control of "harems" of females. The Elk has been killed off over much of its range in the East and the Great Plains and now survives chiefly in the Rockies and Northwest. Best seen in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Olympic, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Banff, and Jasper parks. Males weigh up to 1000 pounds.