The Manitoban elk (''Cervus canadensis manitobensis'') is a subspecies of elk found in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

(specifically

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

) and southern regions of the

Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

(specifically

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, and north-central

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

). In 2001–2002, a breeding population of 52 Manitoban elk was also introduced into the Cataloochee valley of the

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

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 The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

. 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 Riding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park is located within Treaty 2 Territory and sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area of , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the ...

, 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 or estimation 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 abo ...

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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q743254 Cervus Mammals of Canada Mammals of the United States Fauna of the Great Plains Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Fauna of the Canadian Prairies Natural history of Manitoba Pre-Columbian Great Plains cuisine Fauna of Manitoba Fauna of Saskatchewan Fauna of Alberta

Weight

See also

References