This massive animal known as a Wapiti or Elk showing off his full rack of antlers, rests amongst the trees and Autumn leaves in Parc Omega in Montebello, Quebec. This bull is very aware of us watching him but does not seem to be in too much of hurry to get anywhere and rests peacefully as we take his picture.
In the deer family, a Wapiti is the second largest only losing out in size to a moose with the female being known as a cow and the male being called a bull. The bull can weigh up to six hundred and fifty pounds when fully grown and stand at a height of five feet.
The male Wapiti is the only one that has antlers and they begin to sprout yearly in the spring and each winter they are fully grown and are ready to be shed. Once the antlers begin to grow, the growth rate can be as much as one inch a day. When fully grown, they can weigh up to forty pounds and possibly up to four feet long. ... continue below the picture...
... You know that the load a Wapiti bull carries around is considerably lightened when the antlers drop off.
During the rutting season, the rack on the bull is its main source of protection as antler wrestling matches take place sometimes leaving one Wapiti being seriously injured. The antlers on this particular animal in Omega Park in Montebello, Quebec seem to blend in nicely with the barren branches of the trees.
While visiting Omega Park, a Wapiti is likely to come right up to your car window to have a look. Always keep your window half rolled up when touring through the park as a Wapiti is much larger close up than off in the distance. It gives people a great opportunity to take a picture or two of this magnificent animal.
Wapiti Bull, Cervus canadensis, aka Elk, at Parc Omega in Montebello, Outaouais, Quebec, Canada.
Technical Information:
I photographed this photo with the digital SLR camera model Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, aperture of f/6.3, exposure time of 1/250 sec. on ISO 400, as always I used a original Canon Lens, the focus lenght for this picture was 220mm.