Feeding of the elk

Here we explain what the elk eats at different ages and in different seasons.

Elk: what is it like

The Eurasian elk and North American elk consume only plants, including leaves of trees and shrubs, aquatic plants in summer, and branches, bark, and dry grass in winter; the species obtains food by tearing at plants with its front teeth, and its diet consists of tree leaves, willow and birch shoots, bark, aquatic plants, grass, algae, young shoots, and sprouts. The elk’s feeding strategy involves searching for and obtaining food, with a daily food requirement ranging from 15 kilograms to 30 kilograms. Young elks are fed milk, while bears prey on the species.

Mass
350320–375833 g
Length
1500–2100 mm
Lifespan
6994–11657 days 19–32 years
35517
0
1
north-american-elk
en
north american elk
Alces alces
115
The moose is the largest deer on the planet. Males grow large shovel-shaped antlers, which they use during mating tournaments.
The moose differs from other deer in its huge shovel-shaped antlers and very long legs. It is important for nature because it regulates shrub growth and serves as prey for large predators.
plucks plants with front teeth
trophic:herbivore
#c3c3b6
Trophic type
herbivore
Feeding method
plucks plants with front teeth
Foraging strategy
foraging
Feeding technique
tearing
Food capture movement
swimming
Eats with
teeth
6994.2220601922945
11657.036766987158
6527.9405895128075
9325.629413589726
1500.0
2100.0
350320.2225035036
375833.25732218276
The moose sheds twice a year— in spring it sheds its thick winter coat, and in autumn it grows a new one.
-1
-1
Antlers color
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Worker
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
plucks plants with front teeth
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
lots of rain, warm summer, snow in winter
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
Legs count
days
Warm summer
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
adult deer
Maturity
About health
milk
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Piano
Snout color
Repro interval
results
summer warm, winter not very cold
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
alpine meadows and arctic tundra on land
Trophic type
Filters
Palearctic realm
young shoots and sprouts
grass
Upcoming birthdays
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
nest on the ground
rains almost always, very humid
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
bark
aquatic plants
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
algae
Hooves count
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
More:
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
nest located directly on the ground surface on land, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
in a terrestrial nest
leaves
Regeneration
live birth
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
300 to 350 kilograms, 1.8 – 2.5 meters
Pets
Nearctic realm
mixed forest
Lots of rain and cool summer
Legs size
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
bark
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
Flooded grasslands
drink mother's milk in childhood
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Share
Fur temp
alpine and arctic tundra
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
Antlers count
herbivore
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Locomotion through water employed while searching for or capturing prey.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
leaves and stems of grasses and other herbaceous vegetation
Bro
normal sexual
Taxons
if born as {name}
cold, short summer, almost no trees
age
birth date
swimming
no permanent shelter
Palearctic realm
tearing
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
bark and bast of trees and shrubs
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
teeth
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
willow and birch shoots
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Mass
young shoots and leaves of plants
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Plants
Gestation
Rips or shreds food using teeth, beak or claws.
aquatic
land
{name} birthday
Nearctic realm
grass
Link copied
No results found
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
On the map
young shoots, sprouts, green plant shoots
Pleasant summer
Female ♀
all life stages
nest located directly on the ground surface on land
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Maturity
Skin color
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
Hooves color
protection from sun
How similar?
protection from wind
Male ♂
until the celebration
fawn
Tundra
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
Legs color
What if eaten?
Neither
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
caring mother
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Lots of rain and warm summer
much snow in winter, cold
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
water often floods the land, lots of grass
boreal forest
Temperate mixed forest
Duration
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Always very wet
Gamers
aquatic plants and algae
How are they built?
Hooves size
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Taiga
Antlers size
Asexual
swap
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
embryo
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
tree leaves
Observations
◉{N} more on tap
fawn
pupa
imago
adolescent
adolescent
north-american-elk
evropejskij-los
sigir
mwz
los
ormzdegn
herajika
losi
evropejskij-los
malkosonbadagsaseum
evropejskij-los
los
poshi
los
tuo-lu