Great Elk

The Great Elk is a species of giant deer often used for transportation.

About
The Great Elk is a species of giant deer. It has been bred over many hundreds of years to it's enormous size by humans in southern Essokyri. It is often used to pull wagons and rarely to carry people into battle or across vast distances.

Due to the size of their antlers, which often get stuck in trees, female Great Elk are prized more highly than males. The practice of removing a males antlers to allow him to be ridden through forests as a female is done by several groups, but is considered inhumane by most of the world.

Great Elk have been bred for obedience and are very loyal to their handlers. Due to their size they are only at small risk of being killed and eaten by predators, and so show little fear, making them preferable for some over other creatures such as horses.

Appearance
Males and females are both very large, standing almost twice as tall as a human. They have thick shaggy fur that is often shaved for ones working in warm southern Essokyri. The fur is then used as wool to make clothing.

Males, unlike females, have massive antlers that shed and regrow even larger each year. Their antlers are brittle - purely for show - and males often stay in open spaces to avoid losing one to a branch or rock in forested areas. Males begin to grow antlers after their first year, in the spring.

Young, wild Great Elk grow quickly but spend several years with their mothers. Males often leave the herd within two years, with females mostly staying together their whole lives, under the rule of a handful of males.

Adoption
Great Elk are often obtained in an unusual way. Due to high demand, the tamer must first posess a section of antler from a Great Elk. This antler can be exchanged for a newborn foal, when some are available.