Altai elk, Altai maral, Central maral deer, Siberian red deer, Maral
Adults of this subspecies have a light yellowish color with dark necks, young individuals have white areas of the body and have more fur on the body. Males are more muscular and stronger, and females are faster.
Altai wapiti live in the forest hills of southern Siberia, northwestern Mongolia, and northern Xinjiang province of China. Populations that live in China come to lower elevations in winter and spend cold months in sheltered valleys.
Little is known about the behavior of Altai wapiti. In general, elk are social animals, gathering in summer herds that contain up to 400 individuals. The herds are matriarchal social unit, led by a single cow. Female herds are larger while males form small groups and may even travel alone. Young males may associate with older males or female groups. Male and female herds come together during the mating season. Elk graze and browse in the mornings and evenings. By day and in the middle of the night, they are inactive, spending most of their time chewing their cud. Elk are also excellent swimmers. Males have a loud, high-pitched, whistle-like vocalization known as bugling, which advertises the male's fitness over great distances. Females produce an alarm bark to alert other members of the herd to danger, while calves will produce a high-pitched scream when attacked. When agitated, elk will flare their nostrils, lift their head, lay their ears back, and will even punch with their front hooves.
Elk are herbivores (folivores, graminivores, lignivores) and their diets vary with the season. In winter, they consume mainly tree bark, forbs, and tree sprouts during the summer, and native grasses are eaten year-round.
The information about the reproductive habits of this subspecies is also scarce. Generally, elk have a polygynous mating system. From late September to early October, males lose the velvet on their antlers and start competing with each other for mating rights. However, dominant males, having large harems, usually limit access to the females of their harems. The period of gestation lasts about 240-262 days, yielding a single (rarely two) calf. Before giving birth, the female isolates herself from the herd. After giving birth, she keeps living in isolation, protecting her young, until the calf is able to escape predators independently. About 20 minutes after birth, the newborn calf is able to stand. By the age of 2 weeks, the young join the herd, being fully weaned after 2 months. Elk become reproductively mature at 16 months of age.
In China, Mongolia, and Russia the biggest threat to Altai wapiti is hunting for their antler velvet and body parts valued in traditional medicine. Apart from that these animals also suffer from habitat loss, human disturbance especially noises from mining and infrastructure development, and forest fires.
The total population size of the Altai wapiti is unknown. According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of this subspecies in Russia is 33,000-39,000 individuals. Presently, the the Altai wapiti is not included in the IUCN Red List and its conservation status has not been evaluated.
