In contrast to the rump, the head and neck are dark. Elk have long, blackish hair on the neck that is referred to as a mane. Their hooves are rounded and their tracks may be confused with those of yearling cattle in range country. Their droppings, like those of other deer, are in the form of pellets in winter, but in summer, when the animals are on new green forage, resemble those of cattle. Closer inspection, however, reveals traces of a pellet structure.
Male elk are notable for their impressively large antlers.
It is amazing that these large structures are grown new each year by the animals in a period of a few months in spring and summer. In later summer, the velvet is rubbed from the fully grown antlers and the boney structure is revealed. Newly cleaned antlers are light grey in colour but become stained by rubbing and thrashing vegetation during the excitement of the rutting season. These teeth are a hangover from earlier evolutionary stages and now serve no apparent purpose. Their smooth rounded surface has made them attractive as jewellery.