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The Elk, or Wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is the second largest species of deer in the world, after the moose (Alces alces), which is, confusingly, often also called Elk in Europe. Elk are one of the largest mammals to inhabit their ecosystems and have been recorded as weighing up to 590 kg (1,300 lb).[1] Until recently, the elk and the European red deer (Cervus elaphus) were considered to be the same species, however DNA evidence indicates that they are in fact different. The evidence has also shown that the sika deer (Cervus nippon) of Asia is even more closely related to the elk than the red deer.