Elk

The elk, Cervus canadensis, also called wapiti, is the second largest species in the deer family Cervidae, native to North America and Central and East Asia. Males are substantially larger than females, weighing 178 to 497 kilograms compared with 171 to 292 kilograms for females, and males carry large antlers shed annually, with a wider rump patch than the related red deer; the species once ranged much more widely across Eurasia and Western Europe during the Late Pleistocene. Elk meat is lean and higher in protein than beef or chicken, and hunting is most likely the primary economic impact associated with wild elk, with the meat occasionally offered as a specialty item in restaurants and grocery stores.