Canadian deer [3], wapiti [4] (Cervus elaphus canadensis) - a species of mammal from the deer family (Cervidae). The name wapiti initially referred to the North American subspecies of red deer, later it was used for subspecies inhabiting the forests of the temperate zone of North America, mainly the Rocky Mountains and the eastern part of Asia. On the basis of DNA, clear differences between the wapiti and red deer were found, sufficient to consider the wapiti as a separate species. Further studies showed the existence of three groups of wapiti population: North Asian American, South Asian and East Asian. It was introduced in New Zealand and Argentina. However, most systematic approaches still treat wapiti as a subspecies of red deer [5] [1] [2].
