Elk , common name for two different members of the same family. In Europe and Asia the name is applied to a genus of deer that in North America is known as moose. The deer known in North America as the elk is also called the wapiti, a Shawnee word meaning "pale" or "white." This article deals with the European elk, or moose. The moose is the largest member of its family. In Europe it inhabits forests in Siberia, Sweden, Norway, and the Baltic region. In North America it is found in wooded areas of Canada and the northern United States. It reaches maximum size in Alaska. An adult may stand 1.4 to 2.35 m (4.6 to 7.7 ft) high at the shoulder and weigh 200 to 825 kg (440 to 1820 lb). The males bear enormous, broad, flattened antlers with marginal prongs, or tines. The antlers are shed each year after the mating season, by which time they can attain a spread of 1.5 m (5 ft) or more. The body color of the moose varies from almost black to light brown, becoming grayish in winter. The legs are lighter in color than the body. The protruding muzzle and the long legs enable the animal to browse on brush and to wade into lakes and ponds to feed on aquatic plants. The shoulders of the moose are higher than the hindquarters, giving it a humpbacked appearance that is accentuated by the short neck. In order to reach low-growing plants or to drink from a shallow pool, the moose is forced to kneel. It is an excellent swimmer. Moose generally are solitary, although they may form into small bands in winter and trample down the snow where good cover exists, making a "moose yard" where the animals stay while the food lasts. In deep snow a moose is helpless and easily hunted by humans on snowshoes. During the mating season, bulls battle for the cows, and their roars may be heard for great distances. After a gestation of 226 to 264 days, one to three calves are born. If a baby is born the following year, the mother drives off her first offspring, although the young may rejoin the mother after a few weeks. For a time the species was threatened with extinction, both in Europe and in North America, because of indiscriminate hunting. Modern game laws and areas set aside for the protection of these animals have helped to save them .