Wapiti

Because the Fiordland wapiti are hybrids with red deer, their hoof prints can be variable. Pure wapiti toes are less pointed than those of red deer and their hooves are larger than those of red deer. There is overlap in the hoof sizes of wapiti and red deer in Fiordland, depending on the degree of hybridisation. Wapiti hooves are more rounded, like cattle, than those of red deer, but they lack the large gap between the two toes that is obvious with cattle.

Drawing: Sonia Frimmel