Caribou vs elk: calories compared

Most searches are about the animals. For the meat, the two come out close. A 3 oz (85 g) serving of cooked caribou in US survey data gives about 25 g of protein for 141 calories, and the same weight of broiled lean elk round about 26 g for 133 calories. The caribou in the table is dried Alaska Native meat, with about twice the protein of cooked caribou, and we hold no card on how safe it is.

Caribou leads on iron, about 5.2 mg in that serving against about 3.1 mg in 3 oz of roasted elk.

The safety side differs. CDC says wild game must reach 165°F (74°C) inside to kill Trichinella parasites, and freezing might not be enough. A review of 21 Canadian reports named caribou among the four traditional foods most often tied to foodborne illness, mainly botulism and trichinosis.

For elk, the question is chronic wasting disease. In a lab study of meat from one infected elk, grilled and boiled samples still tested positive for the prions. None converted human prion protein in the tube, which the authors read as a limited potential to infect people. CDC advises against eating meat from an animal that tests positive.

Choose by what you can get and like. Cook either to 165°F, and skip elk that tested positive.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E A typical 3 oz (85 g) serving of cooked caribou in US survey data gives about 25 g protein, 5.2 mg iron and 5.6 ug vitamin B12 for 141 calories. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023
2. Level E A 3 oz (85 g) serving of broiled lean elk round gives about 133 calories and 26 g protein. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2019, FDC 174428
3. Level E CDC says wild game meat must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) to kill Trichinella parasites, and freezing game meat might not be sufficient. CDC MMWR, Notes from the Field: Suspected Outbreak of Trichinellosis Associated with Undercooked Bear Meat, North Carolina, November 2023 (2024)
4. Level C A review of 21 Canadian reports tied caribou, walrus, seal and whale to most traditional-food illness, mainly botulism and trichinosis, with raw eating and fermentation the main risks. Can Commun Dis Rep, 2017
5. Level D Lab tests found prions from a CWD-infected elk in raw, grilled and boiled meat and in the boiling water, so cooking did not remove them. Emerg Infect Dis, 2025
6. Level D In the same lab test, none of the CWD-positive elk meat samples converted the human prion protein, which suggests limited but unproven risk to people. Emerg Infect Dis, 2025
7. Level E The CDC advises hunters to consider testing deer or elk for chronic wasting disease and not to eat meat from an animal that tests positive. CDC, About Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), 2026

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Caribou: dense in B12 and iron, with the risks of raw meat and organs
• Elk: lean meat, untested antler and a prion question

Rankings and guides

• Calories: what it does and what the evidence shows
• Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
• Dietary fat: what it does and how much you need
• Caribou: full nutrition facts

• Caribou: USDA FoodData Central, Caribou, shoulder meat, dried (Alaska Native), FDC ID 168049 · full profile · all forms of caribou
• Elk: USDA FoodData Central, Game meat, elk, cooked, roasted, FDC ID 175302 · all forms of elk

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ, and the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.