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E for Elk TULE ELK by Samuel
The tule elk are the smallest elk in North America. Sometimes they are called dwarf elk. The male tule elk weighs about 700 lbs. Only the males have antlers, which are rounded and widely spread. Antlers are shed in March, which means they drop off the elk. In September and October the bulls (male elk) fight for leadership. The bulls and cows have reddish coats with darker heads and legs. They only live in California. In the rainy months they would move from the marsh to the low foothills, like Rockville. The tule elk eat grasses and nibble on leaves and twigs. That is why they like living in the Suisun Marsh and Grizzly Island! Wolves, coyotes and cougars hunt elk. An elk's kick can break a wolf's back. The Indians and the prospectors also hunted elk. The Suisuni hunted tule elk for their skin, antlers, and meat. Gold prospectors almost killed off the tule elk in the 1840's. A prospector is a miner; most miners were looking for gold. In 1858 there were only 28 left. Now we have over 900, many who live on Grizzly Island. They are listed endangered species. Works Cited:: "The Historic ABC's Of Solano County", written by Jackie Albright and Jackie Lillis Illustrated by Tina Akuda. Published by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, 1997 "Tule Elk" by the Oakland Zoo web site: www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/aztlelk.htm We used this page on April 16, 2002 Gregory K. Snider, "Elk" by Worldbook Online Americas Edition, http://www.worldbookonline.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/178600, we searched using the word "elk". We used this page on April 22, 2002 |
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by Gerald and Buff Corsi, California Academy of Sciences