What animal can weigh half a ton, run 45 mph with 70 pounds strapped to its skull, belt out haunting bugles that carry for miles, and endure 100 stab wounds a year in its side from fighting? Elk can. Native tribes called them Wapiti, the �White Rump.� No animal is quite like the elk�a true symbol of wildness. The Wild Life of Elk captures this legendary animal in all its glory, following the species though the seasons and through the centuries. It explores the many habitats in which elk thrive, the mythic growth cycle of their antlers and the intricacies of their social structure. The book follows the species through history and shows the many ways that humans have depended on it for eons. Learn how elk defend themselves during fights and from attacking predators, give birth in some of the most majestic locations imaginable, and have adapted to survive brutal winters and blistering heat. Elk remain one of the most dramatic manifestations of the American wilderness, and this book pays them a grand tribute.