Cervical Disambiguation*

[nineveh_uk]

It has been brought to my attention that other people may have watched slightly fewer David Attenborough (and other wildlife) documentaries**, in their formative years, and thus be a little hazy on the finer point of which large-antlered ruminant mammals are which. This post aims to remedy this deficiency.

Alces alces

Male and female.

This is the very big animal, the male of which has very big antlers, known in Europe as an elk, and in North America as a moose. Alleged to be shy and retiring, it is seldom seen except when crashing into cars, getting drunk on fermented apples, and engaging in threesomes in Swedish gardens.

Sometimes it is referred to as the European elk to avoid confusion with...

Cervus Canadensis

This is the considerably smaller (but still large) animal with big, but very different, antlers, again possessed only by the males, known in North America as an elk (and according to Wikipedia, the wapiti). It is sometimes called the North American elk to avoid confusion with alces alces. It was once believed to be a sub-species of the Eurasian deer...

Cervus elaphus

The red deer. This is the considerably smaller (but still large) animal that is in fact different species from Cervus Canadensis. Again, only the males have antlers.

Rangifer tarandus

This is the Latin name for the animal called the reindeer in Europe and Siberia and the caribou in North America. They do not customarily have red noses. Almost all migrate. Both females and males have antlers. Most European reindeer are semi-domesticated.

Oh yes, one more. This is a robin. This is an American robin.

*Thanks to biascut for the title.

**With accompanying books.

Comments

[ankaret]

I can remember two lines of a poem I was made to learn at school which went 'Hippity hoppity, here comes the wapiti'. I have to say that that thing hippity-hoppiting would be a sight to see.

[nineveh_uk]

It doesn't really give the impression of being a hippity-hoppity sort of animal, does it? Though not doubt the calves frolic a bit.

[commodorified]

1) you totally did this just to use that title, didn't you?

2) you inspired me. Well, ok, you made me free-associate.

3) "If that's the moose, laddie, I dinna want to hang aboot tae meet the rrrat!"

[nineveh_uk]

Everything thing you wanted to know about ungulates, but were afraid to ask!

I would love to say it was all about the title, but really it is about my 4 year old self that insisted on my 2 year old sister getting the nursery rhyme words exactly right.

[antisoppist]

Oh yes, one more. This is a robin. This is an American robin.
Well that does explain things. I probably should have googled at the time but I think I lost the will to live.

I keep waiting for one of the Nordic English language publications to pick up on the Local Council Cuts School Taxi Service And Orders Children To Wear Bells To Keep Away Bears story from Finland's Ilta Sanomat so I could link you to it but no-one has so it is in Finnish (there is a picture of a bear though). My favourite bit is where a reindeer herder from Inari says bells don't stop bears eating his reindeer.

[nineveh_uk]

I decided to spare you the corn and ham sandwiches disambiguation page.

That is a fantastic story, thank you for the link. Google translate is far from perfect, but it's still worth it (though karhu is one of my few Finnish words). I also like the story about people's bum-prints on wet paint on church pews.

[el_staplador]

So now I know.

I hope I may say without misplaced patriotism that I think our robin is far prettier.

[pashazade.livejournal.com]

Hurrah!

Just....hurrah.

From a woman who watched many David Attenborough documentaries whilst growing up. (Do people who are interested confuse elks/moose with reindeer? Elks are *very* large.)

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I doubt that people who are interested confuse alces alces with reindeer when actually looking at them, in the wild or on TV. The former are, as you note, very large, and the two look really quite distinctive. Plus elk are more solitary and reindeer tend to be in herds, whether wild or domestic. And (and, and) the habitats aren't quite the same.

I have never seen reindeer outside a zoo, but I have seen an elk. Just the one.

[biascut.livejournal.com]

I'd never seen anything like it. Not with elk, at least,” he said.

That story is utterly marvellous.

Does this mean that reindeer are not technically deer?

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Does this mean that reindeer are not technically deer?

*Googles*

No. Reindeer are technically Cervidae Rangifer tarandus. They just don't get called that a lot. Although, if you want to get complicated, reindeer and (European) elk belong to a different sub-family, the predominantly American Capreolinae, as distinct from the predominantly Eurasian Cervidae to which the red deer and wapiti belong.

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh, those wacky elk. "Allegedly shy" seems right...

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

They do seem to be a prominent comedy-news story creature. ONe got stuck in a tree (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14842999) earlier this Autumn.

[tree_and_leaf]

I remember that! Elks must make slow news days much easier for Swedish papers...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Harry Turtledove's Ruled Brtannia has one slip; set in England, a robin is seen as a sign of the returning spring ...

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Oops! Though suddenly that song about the red, red robbin coming bob, bob, bobbing along makes a lot more sense.

[catkind.livejournal.com]

Hmm, probably indicative of my state of mind that my first thought was some kind of unpleasant gynaecological procedure.

[alexandralynch.livejournal.com]

Fall in rural areas of America is dangerous.

You see, elk, of either sort, have two modes at that season when they see something. Fight it, or fuck it.

Either decision is dangerous for the human.

My uncle drove a large truck, and one day was headed along a road when he saw a moose standing in the middle of it. He blew his horn. The moose lowered its head and charged the semi truck. Uncle frantically downshifted to lose speed. They collided when he was doing about 25 mph. Headon.

Result: Moose stood up, shook its head, and walked away, leaving its antlers embedded through the radiator into the engine block. Deer 1, Truck 0.