An elk is a large species of deer native to North America and parts of Asia. Male elk, called bulls, can weigh up to 700 pounds and stand five feet tall at the shoulder. They're famous for their massive antlers, which can span four feet across and which they shed and regrow every year.

Elk live in herds and prefer forests and mountain meadows. During autumn, bull elk make a distinctive sound called bugling: a high-pitched whistle that drops into a deep bellow. They bugle to attract females and warn other males to stay away from their territory. If you've ever heard an elk bugle echoing through a mountain valley, it's an unforgettable sound that seems to capture the wildness of nature itself.

In Europe, the word “elk” usually refers to what Americans call a moose, which can cause confusion. What Americans call elk, Europeans often call wapiti (a Native American word meaning “white rump”).

Elk once roamed across most of North America but were hunted out of much of their range by the early 1900s. Conservation efforts brought them back, and today you can see elk in national parks like Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain, where herds of hundreds sometimes gather in open meadows.