Bugling Elk with Calf is a photograph by Nava Thompson which was uploaded on December 27th, 2012.
Bugling Elk with Calf
A photo made by Nava Thompson in RMNP Colorado of a bugling Bull Elk and calf. ........The elk is a large animal of the artiodactyle ungulate order,... more
Title
Bugling Elk with Calf
Artist
Nava Thompson
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A photo made by Nava Thompson in RMNP Colorado of a bugling Bull Elk and calf. ........The elk is a large animal of the artiodactyle ungulate order, possessing an even number of toes on each foot, similar to those of camels, goats and cattle. It is a ruminant species, with a four-chambered stomach, and feeds on grasses, plants, leaves and bark. During the summer, elk eat almost constantly, consuming between 4 and 7 kilograms (8.8 and 15 lb) daily. In North America, males are called bulls, and females are called cows. In Asia, stag and hind, respectively, are sometimes used instead. Elk are more than twice as heavy as mule deer and have a more reddish hue to their hair coloring, as well as large, buff colored rump patches and smaller tails. Moose are larger and darker than elk; bulls have distinctively different antlers. Elk gather in herds, while moose are solitary. Elk cows average 225 to 241 kg (500 to 530 lb), stand 1.3 m (4.3 ft) at the shoulder, and are 2.1 m (6.9 ft) from nose to tail. Bulls are some 40% larger than cows at maturity, weighing an average of 320 to 331 kg (710 to 730 lb), standing 1.5 m (4.9 ft) at the shoulder and averaging 2.45 m (8.0 ft) in length.[19][20] The largest of the subspecies is the Roosevelt elk (C. c. roosevelti), found west of the Cascade Range in the U.S. states of California, Oregon and Washington, and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Roosevelt elk have been reintroduced into Alaska, where the largest males are estimated to weigh up to 600 kg (1,300 lb). More typically, male Roosevelt elks weigh around 300 to 544 kg (660 to 1,200 lb), while females weigh 260 to 285 kg (570 to 630 lb) The smallest bodied race is the Tule elk (C. c. nannodes), which weighs from 170 to 250 kg (370 to 550 lb) in both sexes. Only the males have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each winter. The largest antlers may be 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) long and weigh 18 kilograms (40 lb). Antlers are made of bone which can grow at a rate of 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) per day. While actively growing, the antlers are covered with and protected by a soft layer of highly vascularised skin known as velvet. The velvet is shed in the summer when the antlers have fully developed. Bull elk may have eight or more tines on each antler; however, the number of tines has little to do with the age or maturity of a particular animal. The Siberian and North American elk carry the largest antlers while the Altai wapiti have the smallest. The formation and retention of antlers is testosterone-driven. After the breeding season in late fall, the level of pheromones released during estrus declines in the environment and the testosterone levels of males drop as a consequence. This drop in testosterone leads to the shedding of antlers, usually in the early winter. Rocky Mountain elk in Yellowstone National ParkDuring the fall, elk grow a thicker coat of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Males, females and calves of Siberian and North American elk all grow thin neck manes; female and young Manchurian and Alashan wapitis do not. By early summer, the heavy winter coat has been shed, and elk are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies. All elk have small and clearly defined rump patches with short tails. They have different coloration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with gray or lighter coloration prevalent in the winter and a more reddish, darker coat in the summer. Subspecies living in arid climates tend to have lighter colored coats than do those living in forests. Most have lighter yellow-brown to orange-brown coats in contrast to dark brown hair on the head, neck, and legs during the summer. Forest-adapted Manchurian and Alashan wapitis have darker reddish-brown coats with less contrast between the body coat and the rest of the body during the summer months. Calves are born spotted, as is common with many deer species, and they lose their spots by the end of summer. Adult Manchurian wapiti may retain a few orange spots on the back of their summer coats until they are older. This characteristic has also been observed in the forest-adapted European red deer.
Uploaded
December 27th, 2012
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Comments (35)
Jan Mulherin
Congratulations!! This stunning image has been selected to be featured for the week in the “Art for Ever with You” Group Home Page. You are welcome to add a preview of this featured image to the group’s discussion post titled “2019 February: Stunning Group Featured Images and Thank-you’s” for a permanent display within the group, to share this achievement with others. Also feel free to post your feature on our group Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/296998814248643/ . If the activity is allowed, your image will also be posted to Twitter. Thank you for your participation in the group! ~Jan (February 24, 2019)
Luther Fine Art
Congratulations! Your fantastic photographic art has been chosen as a Camera Art feature! You are invited to archive your work in the Features Archive discussion as well as any other discussion in which it would fit!
Wildlife Fine Art
Nava... Congratulation for your feature at North American Wildlife Artists and Photographers.
Nava Thompson
Kevin--thank you for the feature in North American Wildlife Artists and Photographers!
John Bailey
Congratulations on being featured in the Fine Art America Group "Images That Excite You!"
Randy Rosenberger
Congratulations on your being chosen to have your artwork Featured on the homepage of the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group. It is with pride and joy that I can share this beautiful piece of artwork with the FAA art community. Thanks for sharing. Randy B. Rosenberger (admin of WFS group)
Randy Rosenberger
A grandiose capture and superb presentation of these two fine looking elk, Nava Jo, and that's not "Bull"! lol Love it! fave and vote
Nava Thompson replied:
Randy--thank you for your great comments and fave and vote. Appreciate your fave and vote--and comics! :)
Joyce Dickens
So beautifully captured Nava; love these magnificent animals and your capture is perfect! jd
Nava Thompson replied:
Joyce--Thank you for featuring this in the WFS surprise group--and visiting my gallary--and for the great things you said there. So appreciate it.