Alces alces (Linnaeus 1758)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Artiodactyla, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 637-722 : 653

Alces alces (Linnaeus 1758)

[Cervus] alces Linnaeus 1758 , Syst. Nat., 10th ed., Vol. 1: 66 .

Type Locality: "Habitat in boroealibus Europae, Asiaeque Populetis"; identified as Sweden by Thomas (1911 a:151) .

Vernacular Names: Eurasian Elk.

Subspecies: :

Subspecies Alces alces subsp. alces Linnaeus 1758

Subspecies Alces alces subsp. caucasicus Vereshchagin 1955

Distribution: N Eurasia from Scandinavia, Poland, N Austria, and S Czech Republic (vagrant in Croatia, Hungary, and Romania), east to the Yenisei River (Siberia) and south to Ukraine, N Kazakhstan, N China (N Sinkiang), and possibly adjacent parts of Mongolia; extinct in Caucasus region since 19 th century.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Differs from A. americanus in karyotype, body dimensions and proportions, form of premaxilla, colouration, and structure and dimensions of antlers (Boyeskorov, 1999; Geist, 1998).