Danette Byrne, age 11, of Gulfport, Miss., for her question:

WHAT IS A WAPITI?

A wapiti is a mammal that belongs to the deer family. It is also called the American elk and is a native to the northern part of the Western Hemisphere.

A full grown male wapiti stands about 5 feet, 5 inches at the shoulder and weighs about 700 pounds. It has dark brown fur on the head and neck and creamy gray fur on the back and flanks. It has antlers that are more than 4 feet each in length. The antlers are shed in March, then begin to grow again in late spring and are fully grown by fall.

Wapiti graze and browse on grass, twigs, leaves and other green vegetation.

The wapiti formerly ranged throughout the temperate regions of the Western Hemisphere, but the advance of civilization now limits the range. Huge herds have been slaughtered for food and sport. The animal is now largely restricted to the mountainous areas of the western U.S. and Canada.

In late spring, the wapiti leave the lowlands and migrate to the upper reaches of the mountain forests. The female bears a single fawn soon after reaching the forest.

The animal known in Europe as the elk is known in North America as the moose.