The geologic conditions confirming the current Ice Age we are still exiting from was seen only about 11,700 years ago: the current ice age was at its chilling crescendo. Surface waters were mostly frozen, locked in terrestrial glaciers and sea-ice. This meant there was less water resting in the oceans, sea level stood 120 meters, 400 feet lower than it does today. That means the Bering Straights were open fields and boreal forests, connecting these two continents.
This territory was an easily traversed path between these two continents. Species of all types were connected along this connection linking current day Alaska with the Russian Far East. The connective tissue now under the North Sea, was about the size of today’s country of Mexico. At that time, 21,000 years ago, the world was in the apex of the ice age and the elk species were connected as a series of populations along this continental connection zone. Genetic materials were still shared between populations.
Allopatric speciation is based on the extent to which associated populations are isolated from one another: the 400-foot-deep Beringia ocean is a significant barrier for elk to pass. The Allopatric speciation event separated C.c. canadensis into separate populations. In North America the species continued to evolve, with each sub-population experiencing random mutations which revealed through adaptive responses. Random selection favored genetic traits which were strengthened within each restrictive environment. Across North America, many variations of restrictive environments are found.
Kamiak Butte, Washington, is home to North American Elk (C.c.nelsonii) populations. This variant of elk is similar, but not genetically identical to Roosevelt elk (C.c.roosevelti) which are found about 300 miles to the west in the temperature rainforests of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.