 Explore our wide variety of animal facts and learn some fun trivia about our friends in the animal kingdom.
 Fun Elk Facts for Kids
Check out our range of fun elk facts for kids. Learn what they look like, where they live, what they eat, how much they weigh and much more. Read on for all kinds of interesting information about elk! | | |
- Elk are large mammals native to North America and Asia. They have since been introduced to other parts of the world.
- Part of the wider deer family, they are the largest species within this group.
- Elk prefer to live in and around forests, eating plants, bark, leaves and grass.
- There are a number of different elk subspecies, with the largest males weighing up to 500 kg (1100 lb).
- Adult male elk, known as bulls, grow antlers. These antlers can grow very fast, as much as 2.5 cm (1 inch) a day. When growing, they are covered in a skin known as velvet.
- Fully grown antlers in some elk can weigh as much as 18 kg (40 lb).
- Elk shed their antlers in winter/spring.
- Elk spend most of the year in male and female herds but will get together during mating season.
- Male elk sometimes fight for dominance using their antlers, wrestling each other until a victor emerges, sometimes after serious injuries have occurred.
- Elk grow a thick coat of hair to keep them warm in the winter. They will shed this coat as the temperature rises again, sometimes speeding up the process by rubbing their bodies against objects such as trees.
- In the spring, elk migrate to higher altitudes.
- Elk are often hunted by humans as game.
- The official state animal of Utah is the Rocky Mountain elk.
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