Elk and Caribou

[deckardcanine]

You probably know when you look at a moose,
But not all other deer are so easy.
We’re likely to mix up the caribou (reindeer)
And elk, also known as wapiti.
They stand close in height, but on average, elk
Are substantially greater in weight.
However, their antlers don’t grow quite as long
Or as C-shaped (they’re still hardly straight),
And only the caribou’s antlers are found
On the females as well as the males.
The elk make a bugle noise; caribou mainly
Just grunt (neither copies moose wails).
The fur on elks’ necks is a dark shade of brown,
While the caribou necks are more white.
A caribou diet’s primarily lichens;
The elk have more bark to their bite.
The caribou live on the tundra; the elk
Prefer woodlands or edges thereof.
A caribou’s nose isn’t bald like an elk’s is.
I think that I’ve told you enough.