 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
September Snow - Elk
by Wilhelm J. Goebel
26" by 14˝"
Framed Size 36" by 24˝"
| Artist
Proof Edition of 50 $195.00 |
Framed in Walnut Frame with Gold Lip Shown Above $379.00 |
Framed in
Oak Frame Click Here To See Frame $379.00 |
|
Framed Classic
Walnut Click Here To See Larger $379.00 |
Conservation Framing
Each double mat may vary from print to
print according to which frame you choose. If you would like to
have a particular color of mat just email sales@watsonswildlife.com to place your order. The
best matching color is used for
each individual print and is not always the color shown here.
Each print is framed
using Conservation Acid Free & Lignin Free, Alkaline pH buffered mat board &
backing.
We use non glare glass, You may call us to request regular glass if you like, Other styles of glass are available.
In conservation framing, We use only
Museum Quality materials and procedures that will have no adverse
effects on a piece of artwork and will protect the artwork from external damage.
Although elk were once found throughout much of
the Northern Hemisphere, today large populations are found only
in the western United States from Canada through the Eastern
Rockies to New Mexico, and in a small region of the northern
lower peninsula of Michigan. Elk were reestablished in the
eastern United States with three transplantations throughout the
1900's. Various elk populations in the western US, including
Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, contributed to the
reestablishment.
Elks range in color from dark brown in winter to tan in summer
and have a characteristic buff colored rump. The head, neck,
belly and legs are darker than both the back and sides. Elk
generally have a long head with large ears and widely branching
antlers as long as 1.1-1.5 m from tip to tip. A dark shaggy mane
hangs from the neck to the chest. With a thick body, short tail
and long slender legs, most elk stand approximately 0.75-1.5 m
high at the shoulder and are 1.6-2.7 m from nose to tail. Most
males are 10 percent larger than females and weigh twice as much.
Elk are browsers feeding on grasses, sedges, and forbs in summer
and woody growth (cedar, wintergreen, eastern hemlock, sumac,
jack pine, red maple, staghorn, and basswood) in the winter
months. Favorites of the elk include dandelions, aster, hawkweed,
violets, clover, and the occasional mushroom. Elk are ruminant
animals and therefore regurgitate their food and remasticate to
aid in digestion. This is also known as chewing cud.
Breeding among elks takes place in early September. Males
initiate the autumn courtship with a bugling call to attract
their mates. Both males and females are sexually active at
sixteen months, although young males do not usually mate due to
competition from more mature elks. Gestation generally lasts
between 249-262 days (8-9 months) and results in a single birth
(twins are rare). This low annual production is offset by a high
investment in protective maternal care. At birth, calves weigh
around 15-16 kg and have creamy spots on their back and sides.
Their hooves are soft. Just after birth, a cow and her calves
will live alone for several weeks. At 16 days the calf is able to
join the herd, and weaning is completed within 60 days. Bulls
form harems consisting on average of 1 bull, 6 cows, and 4 calves
in the early summer months.
Elk are very social animals; they live in summer herds with as
many as 400 individuals. These herds are matriarchic and are
dominated by a single cow. As the fall mating season approaches,
bulls form harems, which they defend with their large size and
aggressive nature. In spring, the sexes separate; the females
leave to give birth, while bulls form their own separate bands.
After birth, the cows and their calves form nursery groups until
the calves are ready to join the herd. Pairing is seasonal and
pairs are not maintained throughout the lifetime of the elks.
Bulls are only territorial during the mating season and are
otherwise not aggressive toward other elk. Elk browse in the
early morning and late evening . They are inactive during the day
and the middle of the night, when they spend most of their time
chewing their cud.
Elk have a close association with white-tailed deer, sharing
similar environments and similar habitats. Predators of elk do
include the mountain lion, gray wolf, and bears. Calves may fall
victim to bobcats and coyotes.
Elk prefer open woodlands and avoid dense unbroken forests. Elk
can be found in coniferous swamps, clear cuts, aspen-hardwood
forests, and coniferous-hardwood forests. Elk have a home range
of approximately 600 square miles.
Elk were originally valued by the early settlers and Native
Americans as food and for their fur, teeth, hides, and antlers.
Today elk are economically valuable for tourism and hunting.
Elk have no special conservation status, but excessive hunting
and habitat modification have lead to declines in their natural
distribution and abundance. Most populations of Cervus elaphus
were nearly extirpated in the 19th century. They were extirpated
from New York by 1847, Pennsylvania by 1867, Ohio by 1838, and
Indiana by 1830. The eastern subspecies Cervus elaphus canadensis
is now extinct. Recently, conservation measures by private
citizens and Departments of Natural Resources have led to large
increases in elk populations, putting C. elaphus out of danger.
Elk are generally subject to limited, legal sport hunting.
Elk are known as the noisiest of all cervids. Newborns bleat and
squeal, females bark, grunt and squeal, and males are known for
their characteristic low pitched bellow or roar, known as
bugling.
Copyright
© 1995-2001, The Regents of the University of Michigan
