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Elk or Wapiti
Cervus canadensis
40.3772, -105.522
Field Notes
Description:
Grazing herd of elk cows and their calves from the previous spring. It is late winter and their coats are beginning to look scruffy. Soon they will shed this winter coat for the summer coat which is a rich chestnut color.
Habitat:
Open patch of grassland near a town open space trail. The trail goes along one side of a series of ponds that then drain into Fish Creek. Elk often winter inside the town limits where there is ample grazing on yards. In summer they typically are found in the high elevation tundra above treeline in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Notes:
Large animals. Males, called bulls, have large antlers. Bulls can be dangerous especially during the fall rut when they compete for females, called cows. Their calls, or bugling, are high-pitched and sound nothing like what you would expect for these big animals. Elk cows normally calve in this area in late May and early June. Cows can be dangerous when they are defending their calves.
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