Where is the Roosevelt Elk Found?

Roosevelt elk mainly live in the forests on the pacific coasts. The specific regions of the coast that they occupy are the very northern part of California to the Olympic Mountains. Their habitat is heavily restricted compared to other elk and compared to many other roaming species. It is almost unsurprising that these elk have stayed in this niche. These climates exhibit a lot of rain and are relatively stable temperate temperature. The Pacific Ocean has the largest impact on the climate regulating it to stay around the same temperature for most of the year. This has a large impact on the life of the elk because elk are able to survive more readily since the temperature does not have too many extremes. Also the elk are able to survive readily because of the amount of rain per year.

 

The rain fall per year has a great influence on the elk, since it increases the diversity of plants that can grow in the region. The main vegetation that the elk thrives on is because of the amount of water that is delivered by the rain. This makes the habitat suit the elk even more. Some of these plants that the elk thrive on are Black Huckle Berry, Red Alder, Hairy Grass (Alnus rubra), Wild Iris (Iris douglasiama), and Sitka Spruce (Harper 1967). While the elk is able to survive in the forest there are some more diverse places that Roosevelt elk can survive.

 

The Roosevelt elk can survive in the mountains. These habitats are extreme because of the thin air and also the temperature. The mountains typically have temperatures that are colder than the lower altitudes so the covering needed by the elk is able to keep them warm and provide some protection from the snow and wind that some may face in those regions.

 

Another habitat that is a little less extreme is the low lands. These usually have a lot of trees and vegetation including a large amount of grasses. Compared to the mountains the lowlands are much less extreme.

The Roosevelt elk has one last trait of their habitat. They are actually migratory free roaming animals. They do not usually stay in one place for too long and actually roam the country side looking for food until coming on a place that has some and the moving to the next. This is actually a common trait that elk have in general and a trait that is found in many red deer and deer themselves.

The Ecological niche that the Roosevelt elk fill is a terrestrial roaming herbivore. They eat vegetation from under the ground to the lower branches of trees. The major competitors that Roosevelt elk face are moose and deer. These animals are both similar to the Roosevelt elk in characteristics and they are all herbivores.

 

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