{{Short description|Extinct moose subspecies}} {{Refimprove|type=animal|date=June 2019}} {{Subspeciesbox | name = Caucasian elk | image = Elch.PNG | image_caption = 1841 illustration of male | status = EX | extinct = 1900 | genus = Alces | species = alces | species_link = Moose | subspecies = caucasicus | authority = (Weretschagin, 1955) }}
The '''Caucasian elk''', also known as the '''Caucasian moose'''<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qn1A9Y1OA2oC&q=Caucasian+elk&pg=PA14|title=Elsevier's Dictionary of Mammals|last=Wrobel|first=Murray|date=2006-11-18|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=9780080488820|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Manaseryan|first1=Nina|last2=Gyonjyan2|first2=Andranik|title=THE CHANGE OF THE ANTHROPOGENE FAUNA OF ARMENIA|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335662214|journal=Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology, Institute of Zoology, NAS of Republic of Armenia.}}</ref> (''Alces alces caucasicus'') is an [[extinct]] [[subspecies]] of elk ([[moose]]) found in the [[Black Sea]] and the [[Caucasus Mountains]] of [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Asia Minor]], in modern-day [[European Russia]], [[Armenia]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Azerbaijan]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and eastern [[Turkey]] and north and west [[Iran]].
== Taxonomy == The subspecies was first described by {{Interlanguage link|Nikolay Kuzmich Vereshchagin|ru|Верещагин,_Николай_Кузьмич}} in 1955.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Барышников |first=Геннадий Федорович |url=https://www.zin.ru/publications/fauna_keys/Keys_173_Baryshnikov_2009.pdf#page=114 |title=Млекопитающие фауны России и сопредельных территорий. Копытные Непарнопалые и парнопалые (свиные, кабарговые, оленевые) ч. 1 |date=2009 |publisher=Наука |isbn=978-5-02-026347-5 |language=ru}}</ref> In 1999, Danilkin questioned whether they were sufficiently distinct from ''A. a. alces'' to merit a separate subspecies.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Давыдов |first1=Андрей |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XVgvDwAAQBAJ&dq=%D0%9A%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9+%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%8C&pg=PA151 |title=Лось: популяционная биология и микроэволюция |last2=Сипко |first2=Т. |last3=Рожков |first3=Юрий |last4=Проняев |first4=А. |last5=Холодова |first5=М. |date=2022-05-15 |publisher=Litres |isbn=978-5-04-070618-1 |language=ru}}</ref>
==Extinction== The subspecies was quite common until the mid-19th century, when populations began to decrease due to overhunting. It became extinct sometime in the beginning of the 20th century.<ref name=":0" />
==Predators== Among its likely predators were the Anatolian or [[Persian leopard]] (also called the Caucasus leopard), [[Asiatic black bear]], [[Eurasian brown bear]], [[steppe wolves]], the [[Asiatic lion]] (now restricted to India's [[Gir Forest]]) and the now-extinct [[Caspian tiger]];<ref name=":0" /> The [[Eurasian lynx]], [[golden eagle]]s and the [[Asiatic cheetah]]—now restricted to [[Iran]]—all may have occasionally preyed on calves.
==See also== *[[List of extinct animals of Europe]] *[[Caucasian wisent]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://bearcreekjournal.com/caucasian-moose-extinct/ Caucasian Moose – Extinct] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110422223517/http://bearcreekjournal.com/caucasian-moose-extinct/ |date=2011-04-22 }}.
{{Taxonbar|from=Q5054268}}
[[Category:Extinct mammals of Europe]] [[Category:Mammal extinctions since 1500]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1955]] [[Category:Mammals of Turkey]] [[Category:Moose]]