Starting to grow a new set
Sharon Morgan took this photo near Cub Lake in Bear Valley Springs of a bull elk with new antlers starting to form.
Most of the elk currently in the Tehachapi Mountains are American Elk, also known as Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni), that are descended from a group of about 400 animals that were imported to the Ellsworth Ranch in Stallion Springs from Yellowstone National Park in about 1966, and have become established.
Historically, there were Tule Elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) in the Tehachapi Mountains. This subspecies was most associated with the vast beds of Tule bulrushes (Schoenoplectus acutatus) surrounding natural lakes in the San Joaquin Valley, which is why they were given the name Tule Elk.
The Nuwä (Kawaiisu or Southern Paiute) people of the Tehachapi area call elk parahui, pronounced pah-rah-HOO-ee, meaning “water deer,” in observation of the giant deer’s fondness for wetlands.
Wind Wolves Preserve has a herd of more than 400 Tule Elk, and some of these are believed to venture into the Tehachapi Mountains.
Only bull elk grow antlers, not the cows. This is true of virtually all of the world’s 53 deer species, with the notable exception of caribou, also known as reindeer. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers, though males grow larger antlers.
Female reindeer keep their antlers longer, however. Males drop their antlers in the autumn, after the rut, but females keep theirs until May, when they shed their antlers and soon start growing new ones. Having and keeping antlers is believed to be an adaption helping reindeer cows compete for sometimes scarce food resources.
It also makes those who know about reindeer chuckle about the tradition of antlered reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh, since only cow reindeer have still have antlers at Christmas time.
NATURAL SIGHTINGS is a regular feature of the Tehachapi News edited by Jon Hammond which showcases photos of the natural beauty that enhances the quality of life in Tehachapi. If you have a good quality image of plants, animals, insects, trees, birds, weather phenomena, etc., taken in the Tehachapi area, you may submit it to the Tehachapi News. Submissions can be dropped by the News office in the form of a print or CD, or sent by email to: editorial@tehachapinews.com.