Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Fodor's) - Fodor's [64]
Big Horn Sheep: Clambering along rocky ledges, muscular bighorn sheep fascinate with their ability to travel so easily where the rest of us can’t. In winter the docile herd animals descend to lower elevations. Like their fellow park residents, the mule deer, bighorns rut in autumn, when antlered males fight each other dramatically over mates. Rams have heavy, curled horns, while ewes’ horns are short and slightly bent. From afar it’s easy to spot both sexes’ white rumps, which stand out brightly against their furry brown coats.
Bison: The nappy, dispassionate American bison may not be the western frontier’s most charismatic ungulate, but it’s certainly the most iconic. Yellowstone has the country’s only continuously wild herd numbers (hovering around 4,000), though you also can see the large creatures in other national parks. A hefty bull can reach six feet at the shoulder and weigh a ton. Bulls and cows alike sport short, curved horns, which they’ll use to gore tourists who invade their space.
Black Bear: Don’t kid yourself: these excellent sniffers can smell your freeze-dried dinner from a mile away. Though they naturally forage for acrorns and berries, black bears are omnivores and can be aggressive, especially if they’re protecting their cubs. Unlike grizzlies, black bears don’t have a shoulder hump. They’re also smaller than grizzlies, measuring about the same height as a human adult–but weighing much more (averaging up to 600 pounds), depending on their age and sex. They also have larger ears than their grizzly cousins. They hibernate for up to seven months in the winter, and at lower elevations that see more moderate winters they may not sleep much at all. Most have inky black fur, but a golden-tan or cinnamon color is not uncommon.
Great Horned Owl: Residing in forests, this large owl has prominent ear tufts and a white throat with barred markings preys. It preys on squirrels, hares, grouse, and other birds.
Coyote: Imagine having food on your mind all the time. That’s life for this sniffing, fretting, foraging omnivore. Coyotes’ indiscriminate diets include carrion, small mammals, insects, and grasses. They’re about 30 pounds or more, distinguishing them from much larger wolves. The gray-tan canines travel alone or in small packs and, with rare exceptions, pose little threat to humans.
Eagles: With a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet, bald eagles are primarily fish eaters, but they will also take birds or small mammals when the opportunity presents itself. Their broad nests top trees like oversized, tangled crowns. Bald eagles’ unmistakable white heads distinguish them from uniformly dark-brown golden eagles, which nest on cliffs and prey on small mammals and ptarmigan. With a wingspan of up to 7½ feet, the adult golden eagle has plumage that is entirely dark, except for a golden head.
Elk: A bull’s antlers can weigh 40 pounds and, in summer, shed a soft fur known as antler velvet. Elk congregate wehre forest meets meadows, summering at high elevations before migrating lower in winter. In September and October, bulls attract a "harem" of mating partners by bugling, a loud and surreal whistling.
Grizzly Bear: These furry bogeymen alternately fascinate and frighten. A mature male grizzly can weigh 700 pounds and stand 8 feet tall. Whitish shoulder hairs give grizzlies their name and help distinguish them from black bears, as do a distinctive muscle mass on their back and the convex curve of their snout. High meadows are their prime habitat, especially at dawn and dusk. Hibernation generally lasts from November to March, after which they emerge hungry, sometimes prompting trail and campground closures. Grand Teton National Park is seeing rising populations of grizzlies as Yellowstone bears migrate south.
Jack Rabbit: Unmistakable for its mulelike ears and swift, bounding gait, the jack rabbit can induce a brief case of heart failure if you happen upon one and startle it into an explosive escape.