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The elk or wapiti (''Cervus canadensis'') is one of the largest species within the Cervidae or deer family in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America and eastern Asia. This animal should not be confused with the larger moose (''Alces alces''), to which the name "elk" applies in the British Isles and Eurasia. Apart from the moose, the only other member of the deer family to rival the elk in size is the south Asian sambar (''Rusa unicolor''). Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves and bark. Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Males also engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling (sparring), and ''bugling'', a loud series of vocalizations which establishes dominance over other males and attracts females. Although native to North America and eastern Asia, they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced, including Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Their great adaptability may threaten endemic species and ecosystems into which they have been introduced. Elk are susceptible to a number of infectious diseases, some of which can be transmitted to livestock. Efforts to eliminate infectious diseases from elk populations, largely through vaccination, have had mixed success. Some cultures revere the elk as a spiritual force. In parts of Asia, antlers and their velvet are used in traditional medicines. Elk are hunted as a game species; the meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken. It was long believed to be a subspecies of the European red deer (''Cervus elaphus''), but evidence from a number of mitochondrial DNA genetic studies beginning in 1998 indicate that the two are distinct species.〔 Key morphological differences that distinguish ''C. canadensis'' from ''C. elaphus'' are the former's wider rump patch and paler-hued antlers. ==Naming and etymology== Early European explorers in North America, who were familiar with the smaller red deer of Europe, thought that the larger North American animal resembled a moose, and consequently gave it the name ''elk'', which is the common European name for moose. The word ''elk'' is related to the Latin ''alces'', Old Norse ''elgr'', Scandinavian ''elg''/''älg'' and German ''Elch'', all of which refer to the animal known in North America as the moose. The name ''wapiti'' is from the Shawnee and Cree word ''waapiti'', meaning "white rump". This name is used in particular for the Asian subspecies (Altai wapiti, Tian Shan wapiti, Manchurian wapiti and Alashan wapiti), because in Eurasia the name ''elk'' continues to be used for the moose. Asian subspecies are sometimes referred to as the ''maral'', but this name applies primarily to the Caspian red deer (''Cervus elaphus maral''), a subspecies of red deer. There is a subspecies of elk in Mongolia called the Altai wapiti (''Cervus canadensis sibiricus''), also known as the Altai maral. (The name "Siberian elk" is used for ''Alces alces'' ssp. ''cameloides''.〔Geist, V., Ferguson, M. & Rachlow, J. 2008. (''Alces americanus''. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. ) (). Retrieved 4 March 2012.〕) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Elk」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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