Wapiti (Cervus canadensis), a species of deer of large size, being 4½ feet in height at the shoulder.
It is a native of North America, found as far south as Carolina, and as far north as 56° or 57° N. lat.
It is yellowish brown on the upper parts; the sides gray; a pale yellowish patch on each buttock, bounded by a black line on the thigh; the neck a mixture of red and black, with long, coarse, black hair falling down from it in front like a dewlap; a black mark at each angle of the mouth. The hair is crisp and hard, but there is a soft down beneath it. The antlers are large, much like those of the stag, but the first branch bends down almost over the face. The wapiti is called elk and gray moose in some parts of America, although very different from the true elk or moose deer. It is found chiefly in low grounds, or in parts of the forest adjacent to savannahs and marshes. Its flesh is coarse and dry. The hide makes excellent leather.