elk

elk, name applied to several large members of the deer family. It most properly designates the largest member of the family, Alces alces, found in the northern regions of Eurasia and North America. In North America this animal is called moose. The name elk is used in North America to designate a different animal, the wapiti, closely related to the red deer of Europe. The prehistoric Irish elk, Megaceros giganteus, is still another species, related to the fallow deer. It was found in Europe and W Asia in Pleistocene and early Holocene times and had an 11-ft (3.3-m) antler span, the largest of any deer. All animals called elk are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Cervidae.

Any of several species of large deer in the genus Cervus, notably the red deer of Europe, the Kashmir stag, and the Himalayan shou, as well as the North American deer more correctly called wapiti. The creature called elk in Europe is a member of the species (Alces alces) known in North America as moose. The name is also applied to the extinct Irish elk.

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Any member of a genus (Megaloceros) of extinct giant deer commonly found as fossils in Pleistocene deposits (1.8 million–10,000 years ago) in Europe and Asia. About the size of a modern moose, the Irish elk had the largest antlers of any form of deer known, in some specimens about 13 ft (4 m) across. It may have survived until circa 700–500 BC.

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Elk is a town in Price County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,183 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau (USCB), the town has a total area of 53.5 square miles (138.7 km²), of which, 50.8 square miles (131.6 km²) of it is land and 2.7 square miles (7.1 km²) of it (5.10%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,183 people, 502 households, and 365 families residing in the town. The population density was 23.3 people per square mile (9.0/km²). There were 933 housing units at an average density of 18.4/sq mi (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.73% White, 0.51% Native American, 0.08% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 502 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,953, and the median income for a family was $50,769. Males had a median income of $37,266 versus $21,607 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,310. About 3.4% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

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