The Elk and Caribou are prominent members of the deer family, Cervidae. While they share a common lineage, they have evolved distinct physical characteristics and sizes to thrive in different North American environments. A comparison of their anatomy and bulk reveals that one species consistently outweighs the other.
The Definitive Size Comparison
The Elk, also known by its Native American name Wapiti, is consistently the larger and heavier animal compared to the Caribou. A mature male Elk, or bull, has a massive body frame, reaching an average shoulder height between 56 and 68 inches. These bulls typically weigh between 650 and 850 pounds, with the largest individuals sometimes exceeding 1,100 pounds.
The Caribou has a smaller, more compact build adapted for its northern range. A male Caribou bull stands between 34 and 62 inches at the shoulder. Body mass for a mature bull Caribou usually falls within a much narrower range of 350 to 400 pounds. This superior size makes the Elk the second-largest deer species globally after the Moose.
Key Distinctions in Appearance and Anatomy
The most obvious difference between the two species lies in their antlers. Elk bulls grow impressive, branching, and elongated antlers that sweep backward, reaching lengths of up to four feet. Only male Elk grow antlers, which are shed annually in early spring.
Caribou possess a unique antler structure, as both males and females routinely grow them. Female Caribou retain their antlers longer into the winter than males. Caribou antlers are often described as palmate, meaning they are flattened or shovel-like, and feature forward-projecting brow tines.
Coats and hooves reflect the animals’ specific habitat adaptations. Elk have a dark brown or reddish coat, often featuring a light-colored rump patch and a shaggy neck mane. This coat provides insulation for temperate forest and mountain environments.
The Caribou’s dense coat is built for extreme Arctic cold, featuring thick, hollow guard hairs for superior insulation. Caribou also possess specialized hooves that are broad, flat, and crescent-shaped. These hooves act like natural snowshoes to distribute weight over soft snow or tundra, and function as effective shovels to dig for lichen. Elk hooves are narrower and more streamlined, better suited for the firmer terrain of their forest and meadow habitats.
Geographic Range and Subspecies Variation
The geographical distribution reinforces their evolutionary divergence. North American Caribou are found almost exclusively in the northern reaches of the continent, including the Arctic tundra and boreal forests of Alaska and Canada. They undertake some of the longest terrestrial migrations on earth between their seasonal ranges.
Elk (Wapiti) occupy a range generally farther south, preferring the mountain ranges, valleys, and open forests of the western United States and Canada. The Caribou species is known as Reindeer in Eurasia. However, the North American Elk is distinct from the European Elk, which is known as a Moose in North America.