The Making of a Diorama
The Habitat Views video considers ways of looking at dioramas today, and documents the creation of several new displays. Take a look over on our YouTube Channel >
Do Dolphins Have Hair?
Our mammal researchers answer this and other questions on our Mammalogy FAQs page.
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Recreating Nature Indoors
Ever wonder who made the dioramas in our mammal halls? Read all about the artists who created these wonderful scenes. Learn more >
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American wapiti or elk
Cervus elaphus elaphus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scene:
Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, WyomingBackground artist:
J. Robert SewellElk 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, hunting, and for their meat and other products. In the western United States elk are known to carry and contract chronic wasting disease, a condition similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease).
Biological Information
Range:
Rocky Mountains of United States and Canada
Habitat:
Grasslands and forest edge
Status:
Conservation measures ensure that elk not in danger
Diet:
Grasses and leaves
Further information about this species may be found on the Animal Diversity Web page for elk.