Coastal Bull

by Nick Boren

Title

Coastal Bull

Artist

Nick Boren

Medium

Photograph - Photograph - Digital

Description

On my recent trip to northern California, I spotted this big Roosevelt bull elk feeding just a few hundred yards from the ocean waters.

It's not uncommon to see herds of elk along highway 101 near Crescent City.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti), also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America.[2] They live in the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest and were introduced to Alaska's Afognak and Raspberry Islands in 1928.[3][4] The desire to protect the elk was one of the primary forces behind the establishment of the Mount Olympus National Monument (later Olympic National Park) in 1909.[5]

Adults grow to around 6�10 ft (1.8�3 m) in length and stand 2.5�5 ft (0.75�1.5 m) tall at the shoulder.[4] Elk bulls generally weigh between 700 and 1100 lb (300�500 kg), while cows weigh 575�625 lb (260�285 kg).[2] Some mature bulls from Raspberry Island in Alaska have weighed nearly 1300 lb (600 kg).[2]

From late spring to early fall, Roosevelt elk feed on herbaceous plants, such as grasses and sedges.[4] During winter months, they feed on woody plants, including highbush cranberry, elderberry, and devil's club.[4] Roosevelt elk are also known to eat blueberries, mushrooms, and salmonberries.[4]

Uploaded

September 8th, 2013

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