Elk: The Forest Giants!

Elk are like super-duper deer! They are HUGE. A grown-up elk can be as tall as a small car and weigh as much as 10 big dogs! They have big, brown eyes that help them see well, and their fur is a warm, reddish-brown color. In the fall, their fur gets thicker to keep them cozy when it gets cold. They are truly gentle giants of the forest.

Elk love to live in big forests with lots of trees and open grassy spots. You can find them in North America, like in the Rocky Mountains, and also in parts of Asia. They like to roam around in herds, which means they stick together in groups. This helps them stay safe from any animals that might want to bother them. They are always on the move, looking for tasty snacks!

Elk are herbivores, which means they only eat plants! They munch on all sorts of yummy green things like grasses, leaves, twigs, and even tree bark. In the summer, they love to eat fresh, juicy grasses. When winter comes, they have to dig through the snow to find plants to eat. They are very good at finding food, even when it's hard to find.

Only the boy elk, called bulls, grow antlers! These aren't like horns that stay forever. Elk antlers are made of bone and fall off every year, usually in the winter. Then, in the spring, new ones start to grow back, and they can get bigger and bigger each year! The biggest antlers can be as wide as a small table. They use them to show off and sometimes to spar with other bulls.