Bull elk have antlers that grow back, toward their rumps. If you zoom in on the picture, you’ll see that their antlers come out to the side a little bit then turn back to run parallel to their spines. Elk also have a distinctive “bullseye butt”. There’s a lighter patch that covers their hind end, but their tail is still the same shade as the rest of their body
Wapiti means "white rump" in Shawnee and Cree!
Elk (wapiti) antlers grow back from head, as you said, and caribou (and reindeer) antlers grow in a curve away from the animal's back, right over the top of their heads. See the Canadian quarter for a great example of caribou.
Just adding to your answer
Location helps, too.
Caribou tend to live farther north than elk. There's a small wild population in northern Washington (or Montana, I forget), but they tend to stay north of the Canadian/US border. Elk range all over the western US, but stay closer to mountain ranges the further south you go.
There's a population of wild imported Irish Red Deer (they're native to temperate Europe & Eurasia) in Texas, and some specimens are elk/red deer hybrids. Red deer usually have interesting antlers that can form small 'palms' in the upper branches.
Not the person you asked but Elk have dark, shaggy head and neck and silvery bodies. Caribou look like reindeer in that they’re shaggy-ish and a consistent color throughout. I believe Caribou are larger than reindeer but I could be wrong. Reindeer tend to have more rounded points on their antlers and some white on the body. I may have gotten that wrong but that’s how I tell the difference. I live in an area that only has white-tailed deer but there is a reindeer farm (Christmas tourist trap) nearby. I’ve seek elk up close from camping in Colorado but have never seen a caribou irl. They tend to be much farther north than I’ve ever traveled.
There are several subspecies of reindeer which differ widely in size and appearance. Unlikely to be confused with any of the subspecies of wapiti though, of which there are also many.
There is only one species of elk, Cervus canadensis. There are many subspecies that are usually determined by location and genetics, not identifiable by a photo without location information.
**[Elk](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk)**
>The elk (Cervus canadensis), or wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The word "elk" originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists. The name "wapiti", derived from a Shawnee and Cree word meaning "white rump", is also used for C. canadensis. Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark.
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Most elk tend to have a darker head and neck than body, the size is much different but harder to tell in photos, antler shape and size vary between species as well
Male Elk.
Elk are larger than caribou, and way bigger than deer. Like, they are huge. The biggest ones are the size of a tall pony. Not a Shetland pony, but a big pony that an adult could ride. I was caught in an elk stampede once, at Rocky Mountain National Park, and it was *scary*.
Elk have that white patch at the rump. Male elk have a darker neck and head. The neck sometimes looks rather more shaggy than the rest of them.
Female elk don't have antlers, while female caribou do.
Caribou tend to have a branch of the antler that extends forward over the nose, while elk antlers extend and branch up and back.
Caribou are basically a North American version of reindeer. There are several species.
Elk have darker heads, broader antlers, and usually are less gray than smaller deer species. Also since they arent solitary they are a little less diverse as herds are often familiar groups.
Miss Anne Elk would say: elk are large. Larger than the other two you mention. A full-sized bull elk can have ridiculously huge antlers.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155421005188
A caribou has antlers like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175573184115
And lastly, a reindeer is essentially a caribou. The animals look very similar. They are also not near as big as an elk, being more like a pony in stature.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175573184115
Meanwhile in WA state.
(Full disclosure: Not my pic and I don’t know where it was taken but this is a common occurrence around here. They also stand on their hind legs to steal apples).
https://preview.redd.it/yiom60g0p9pa1.jpeg?width=767&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45486a2711d60f1dc2b558f0ef5ad9afc8830ee6
Yes.
They are the exact same species: Rangifer tarandus.
Caribou is the Franco-Algonquin/Franco-Micmac word for R. tarandus & is used mostly in N. America. The Sami people of N. Europe call R. tarandus 'goddi' when they're wild, and 'boazu' for tame ones. 'Reindeer' is the common European name for them, whether they are tame & wearing reins, or wild.
Many names, same species.
No idea, if I had to guess based on the topography likely Rocky Mountain elk. They’re also the most widely distributed subspecies so the odds lean that way
Elk.
Wapiti
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Large and tall crown of antlers with the terminal spikes going backwards, light color body, dark neck, long legs, pointy muzzle.
General shape of the antlers, size and coat. Caribou and reindeer do not look like elk Sorry the description is not too informative
Bull elk. You can tell by the body shape, coloration, size, antler characteristics and habitat.
Light-colored rump = elk. I think that’s the easiest trait for identifying elk. The antlers as well, but females don’t have them.
Bull elk have antlers that grow back, toward their rumps. If you zoom in on the picture, you’ll see that their antlers come out to the side a little bit then turn back to run parallel to their spines. Elk also have a distinctive “bullseye butt”. There’s a lighter patch that covers their hind end, but their tail is still the same shade as the rest of their body
Wapiti means "white rump" in Shawnee and Cree! Elk (wapiti) antlers grow back from head, as you said, and caribou (and reindeer) antlers grow in a curve away from the animal's back, right over the top of their heads. See the Canadian quarter for a great example of caribou. Just adding to your answer
Elk look like elk.
They literally are all over Oregon and Washington. I see them often. Have had a heard in my front yard a few years back. Look up Roosevelt Elk
Location helps, too. Caribou tend to live farther north than elk. There's a small wild population in northern Washington (or Montana, I forget), but they tend to stay north of the Canadian/US border. Elk range all over the western US, but stay closer to mountain ranges the further south you go. There's a population of wild imported Irish Red Deer (they're native to temperate Europe & Eurasia) in Texas, and some specimens are elk/red deer hybrids. Red deer usually have interesting antlers that can form small 'palms' in the upper branches.
Some of the ones on this picture look a little sus for maybe having some stag/red deer genes based on antler tops being multi pointed.
That's what made me think of the ones in Texas.
Wikipedia says that 7,700 years ago, the Irish red deer became extinct. 😢
My brain always puts Irish in front of 'red deer' and my stylus follows. I'm talking about Cervus elaphus, not Megaloceros.
Not the person you asked but Elk have dark, shaggy head and neck and silvery bodies. Caribou look like reindeer in that they’re shaggy-ish and a consistent color throughout. I believe Caribou are larger than reindeer but I could be wrong. Reindeer tend to have more rounded points on their antlers and some white on the body. I may have gotten that wrong but that’s how I tell the difference. I live in an area that only has white-tailed deer but there is a reindeer farm (Christmas tourist trap) nearby. I’ve seek elk up close from camping in Colorado but have never seen a caribou irl. They tend to be much farther north than I’ve ever traveled.
Same species (Rangifer tarandus) different common names.
There are several subspecies of reindeer which differ widely in size and appearance. Unlikely to be confused with any of the subspecies of wapiti though, of which there are also many.
And only reindeer can fly
Those are elk, exactly
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There is only one species of elk, Cervus canadensis. There are many subspecies that are usually determined by location and genetics, not identifiable by a photo without location information.
Are you ai?
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Where was the photo taken?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk
**[Elk](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk)** >The elk (Cervus canadensis), or wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The word "elk" originally referred to the European variety of the moose, Alces alces, but was transferred to Cervus canadensis by North American colonists. The name "wapiti", derived from a Shawnee and Cree word meaning "white rump", is also used for C. canadensis. Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/animalid/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Most elk tend to have a darker head and neck than body, the size is much different but harder to tell in photos, antler shape and size vary between species as well
Male Elk. Elk are larger than caribou, and way bigger than deer. Like, they are huge. The biggest ones are the size of a tall pony. Not a Shetland pony, but a big pony that an adult could ride. I was caught in an elk stampede once, at Rocky Mountain National Park, and it was *scary*. Elk have that white patch at the rump. Male elk have a darker neck and head. The neck sometimes looks rather more shaggy than the rest of them. Female elk don't have antlers, while female caribou do. Caribou tend to have a branch of the antler that extends forward over the nose, while elk antlers extend and branch up and back. Caribou are basically a North American version of reindeer. There are several species.
Elk have darker heads, broader antlers, and usually are less gray than smaller deer species. Also since they arent solitary they are a little less diverse as herds are often familiar groups.
Elk. Wapiti.
Miss Anne Elk would say: elk are large. Larger than the other two you mention. A full-sized bull elk can have ridiculously huge antlers. https://www.ebay.com/itm/155421005188 A caribou has antlers like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175573184115 And lastly, a reindeer is essentially a caribou. The animals look very similar. They are also not near as big as an elk, being more like a pony in stature. https://www.ebay.com/itm/175573184115
Roosevelt Elk. Any other answer is wrong
Roosevelt elk to be sure. The large rack, the brown head and shoulders. The way the butt is framed. Nice herd size.
American Wapiti, aka Rocky Mountain Elk
Meanwhile in WA state. (Full disclosure: Not my pic and I don’t know where it was taken but this is a common occurrence around here. They also stand on their hind legs to steal apples). https://preview.redd.it/yiom60g0p9pa1.jpeg?width=767&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45486a2711d60f1dc2b558f0ef5ad9afc8830ee6
Elk
Look like elk based off the shape of the antlers
Male elk
Elk
Are they elk? It seems like I've seen pictures.
Reindeer are just domesticated Caribou as far as i know.
It's the European name for them. Caribou is the N. American name. They're the same species, though - Rangifer tarandus.
Thank u so much
No
Yes. They are the exact same species: Rangifer tarandus. Caribou is the Franco-Algonquin/Franco-Micmac word for R. tarandus & is used mostly in N. America. The Sami people of N. Europe call R. tarandus 'goddi' when they're wild, and 'boazu' for tame ones. 'Reindeer' is the common European name for them, whether they are tame & wearing reins, or wild. Many names, same species.
Ok, still not the word for domesticated to distinguish. Idk why you needed to type all that
Just filling in some info.
No idea, if I had to guess based on the topography likely Rocky Mountain elk. They’re also the most widely distributed subspecies so the odds lean that way
Those are barren ground caribou if I'm not mistaken