What kind of elk are in yellowstone

Elk Cervus elaphus are the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone; paleontological evidence confirms their continuous presence for at least 1, years. Yellowstone National Park was established in , when market hunting of all large grazing animals was rampant.

Not until after , when the U. Army was called in to protect the park and wildlife slaughter was brought under control, did the large animals increase in number.

More than 30, elk from different herds summer in Yellowstone and approximately 15, to 22, winter in the park. The subspecies of elk that lives here are found from Arizona to northern Canada along the Rocky Mountain chain; other species of elk were historically distributed from coast to coast, but disappeared from the eastern United States in the early s. Some other subspecies of elk still occupy coastal regions of California, Washington, and Oregon.

Elk are the second largest member of the deer family moose are larger. Adult males, or bulls, range upwards of pounds while females, or cows, average pounds. Their coats are reddish brown with heavy, darker-colored manes and a distinct yellowish rump patch.

Bulls grow antlers annually from the time they are nearly one year old. The antlers are usually shed in March or April, and begin regrowing in May, when the bony growth is nourished by blood vessels and covered by furry-looking "velvet.

A bull may gather cows into his harem during the mating season, often clashing or locking antlers with another mature male for the privilege of dominating the herd group. By November, mating season ends and elk generally move to their winter ranges. Calves weighing pounds are born in late May or early June.

Climate is the most important factor affecting the size and distribution of elk herds here. Nearly the whole park - approximately 2. However, winter snowfalls force elk and other ungulates to leave the greater part of the park.

Only the northern, lower-elevation portion of Yellowstone, where temperatures are more moderate and snowfall less than in the park interior, can support large numbers of wintering elk.

In contrast, most of the northern range averages less than 30" of precipitation annually, and winter temperatures are considerably warmer. The Overgrazing Controversy. National attention has been focused on Yellowstone's northern elk winter range since the early s.

Scientists and managers then believed that grazing and drought in the early part of the century had reduced the range's carrying capacity, and that twice as many elk were on the range in as existed in From to , elk, pronghorn, and bison numbers were artificially controlled by shooting or trapping and removal by park rangers.

Then in the s, based on new studies that suggested ungulate populations could possibly be self-regulating, elk reductions were discontinued in the park. The belief that elk grazing was damaging to northern range vegetation and that grazing accelerates erosion, although not supported by research data and analysis, has continued to the present.

Studies of the northern elk winter range began in the s and revealed no clear evidence of range overuse Houston More recent studies conclude that sagebrush grasslands of Yellowstone's northern winter range are not overgrazed Singer and Bishop In fact, plant production was enhanced by ungulate grazing in all but drought years.

Protein content of grasses, yearly growth of big sagebrush, and seedling establishment of sagebrush were all enhanced by ungulate grazing. Neither reduction in root biomass nor an increase in dead bunchgrass clumps was observed. However, many questions remain concerning the condition of riparian zones and associated shrubby vegetation; the park hopes to conduct additional studies on aspen and willows and their relationship to ungulates on the northern range.

Two reports were made available in , discussing at length the issue of grazing levels and other influences on Yellowstone's northern range. Yellowstone's Northern Range: Complexity and Change in a Wildland Ecosystem discusses the history of research and management in northern Yellowstone, home to one of the world's largest herds of elk and long the subject of controversy.

Effects of Grazing by Wild Ungulates in Yellowstone National Park contains 22 technical publications summarizing recent research studies that have been peer-reviewed by scientists.

Much of the research was completed by scientists from agencies other than the National Park Service, by independent contractors, and by scientists from universities located across the United States.

Other Influences on Yellowstone's Elk Populations. Over-winter calf mortality, yearling mortality, and adult bull mortality all increase with higher elk population densities. Gray wolves, eliminated from the park by the s, are being restored, but not because park managers think the wolves will "control" the number of elk.

Computer modeling of population dynamics on the northern winter range predicts that 75 wolves would kill 1, elk per winter, but that elk would be able to maintain their populations under this level of predation, and with only a slight decrease in hunter harvest.

Since the restoration of wolves to Yellowstone began in January , scientists have begun to document the effects of wolves on elk and other species. Wolves are preying predominantly on elk, as expected. They have also occasionally preyed upon moose, bison, deer, and even one pronghorn antelope.

The carrying capacity of the northern winter range increased in the s because elk colonized new winter range in and north of the park, wet summers resulted in better plant production, winters were mild, and the fires of opened forests allowing more ground cover to grow. Since , more than 11, acres of elk winter range have been purchased by the State of Montana and the U.

Forest Service north of the park, increasing elk carrying capacity and reducing conflicts between native wildlife and agriculture. The Madison-Firehole Herd. The Madison-Firehole elk herd has been the focus of research by Dr.

This herd numbers from , and is believed to winter almost entirely within Yellowstone Park. The population appears to be naturally regulated to a degree not found in other, human-hunted elk herds. The information resulting from this research is useful in comparing unhunted and hunted elk populations. Researchers examined the effects of environmental variability on ungulate reproduction and survival.

Researchers also examined elk use of areas burned in the wildfires of Observations indicated that elk have made more than casual use of burned trees; tests showed that fires altered the chemical composition of lodgepole pine bark, making it more digestible and of higher protein content than live bark. While the burned bark was not the highest quality forage for elk, it is comparable to other low quality browse species. The researchers speculated that elk select burned bark because it is readily available above the snow cover in winter.

For more information on Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding communities visit these helpful sites: YellowstoneNationalPark. Park Information. Trip Panner. Hardy, and D. Behavioral responses of bison and elk in Yellowstone to snowmobiles and snow coaches. Ecological Applications 16 5 — Garrott, R. Generalizing wolf effects across the greater Yellowstone area: a cautionary note.

Wildlife Society Bulletin — White, and F. Hardy, A. Bison and elk responses to winter recreation in Yellowstone National Park.

Houston, D. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. Kreeger, T. Brucellosis in elk and bison in the Greater Yellowstone area. Middleton, A. Morrison, J. Fortin, M. Kauffman, C. Robbins, K. Proffitt, P. White, D. McWhirter, T. Koel, D. Brimeyer, and W. Grizzly bears link non-native trout to migratory elk in Yellowstone. Proceedings of the Royal Society B National Research Council.

White, P. Northern Yellowstone elk after wolf restoration. Biological Conservation — Evaluating the consequences of wolf recovery on northern Yellowstone elk. Yellowstone after wolves — EIS predictions and ten-year appraisals.

Yellowstone Science — Proffitt, and T. Changes in elk distribution and group sizes after wolf restoration. American Midland Naturalist — Garrott, K. Hamlin, R. Cook, J. Cook, and J. Body condition and pregnancy in northern Yellowstone elk - evidence for predation risk effects?

Ecological Applications —8. Proffitt, L. Mech, S. Evans, J. Cunningham, and K. Migration of northern Yellowstone elk - implications of spatial structuring. Journal of Mammalogy — Garrott, and G. Plumb, eds. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Williams, E. Miller, T.

Kreeger, R. Kahn, and E. Chronic wasting disease of deer and elk: A review with recommendations for management. Journal of Wildlife Management 66 3 — Brucellosis is a nonnative, bacterial disease that induces abortions in pregnant cattle, elk, and bison. Explore This Park. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve.

Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Photo courtesy Jacob W. For the second winter in a row, wild ungulates—elk, mule deer, bison and pronghorn in the northern tier of Yellowstone and spilling into Montana—have encountered brutally harsh weather conditions, with heavy snowfall and bitter cold in February likely to yield a significant death toll and possibly reduced reproduction. The elk that survived are generally in poor physical condition. The count was conducted between March 17 and March Some 5, elk were observed across the vast Northern Range survey area—1, individuals or Note: Mountain Journal does not know why those figures do not add up to percent.

Biologists note that a single winter, by itself, does not indicate much, be it with an elk population or the deepening impacts of climate change. The long-term average of observed elk numbers since surveys began in is 10, elk, with a peak high count of 19, elk in and a low count of 3, elk observed in Cow-calf ratios are considered a crucial metric in plotting population growth or decline.

Of the 5, elk counted, scientists classified 5, elk by age and sex, resulting in ratios of Calf and yearling bull ratios were lower than recent surveys and long-term averages. Brow-tined bulls, a. Brow-tined bull ratios were higher than in recent surveys, but below long-term average, Loveless said. Scientists observed 16 percent fewer cows, 46 percent fewer calves and 42 percent fewer yearling bulls as compared to the classification survey. Brow-tined bull numbers increased by This is the second consecutive year with calf ratios below the threshold of 20 calves per cows considered necessary to maintain a stable population.

A lot of different variables are in play. Most water resource stations measuring snow depth report above-average levels in the mountains but more important is when and how much snow fell. Officials are expecting to find a high winter-kill count in Wyoming after the snow melts. The Yellowstone-Montana aerial elk count is far from exact. Normally, three Piper Cub airplanes are flown in a single day; instead, this year, a helicopter was used over three days. Also unusual is that Paradise Valley, because of its winter winds, typically does not become blanketed in deep snow yet it happened as a result of mid-winter storms.

Thus, it could result in a higher number of winter-killed elk there and in Yellowstone.