Part 3

Yellowstone and Yosemite are two National Parks where visitors have ample opportunity to become acquainted with the BLACK BEAR. Many people, by foolishly feeding or petting these wild animals, have become too intimately acquainted, and have been injured in the process. Here in Rocky Mountain National Park, these opportunities seldom occur, for the bear population is low. If you are lucky enough to see one of these bulky, furry creatures lumbering along the road, do not try to fraternize with it.

Although the species present here is called the black bear, there are blonds among them, too. The brown bear and cinnamon bear are merely color phases of the black bear. Bears eat almost everything, including roots, berries, ants, frogs, fish, carrion, and such small mammals or birds as get into their clutches. They seem to be particularly voracious in eating garbage--discarded lunches, bacon, and similar material likely to be present in a campground. The bear is a relatively solitary animal. He has poor eyesight, but good hearing and sense of smell. Bears usually hibernate in fitful sleep, living off stored-up layers of body fat. The surprisingly small, squirrel-sized young are born in February during this semihibernation. The mother gives devoted care to her cubs, and defends them vigorously.

You can't see grizzlies here, for they were extirpated from this region before the park was established.

The COUGAR has many aliases--mountain lion, catamount, painter, panther, puma--depending upon the locality. Almost 9 feet long including the 3-foot tail, the adult cougar may weigh over 200 pounds. Its coat is dull, yellowish brown; immature cougars have blackish spots. It has acute powers of sight, smell, and hearing. A sly, crafty, and tireless hunter, it is not often seen by man even where it is abundant. The cougar is part of the natural wildlife community, and is protected from hunters within park boundaries. The chances of seeing one here are remote, for many who have spent a lifetime in these mountains have never reported seeing one. A few observations of these animals, however, are usually reported in the park each year.

A much smaller cat occasionally seen in the park is the BOBCAT. It roams the forested areas of the park principally hunting small rodents and rabbits. Grouse also are taken, and on forays above treeline the bobcat may feed upon ptarmigan. It lives in dens in the rocks and sometimes in a hollow tree. Like the snowshoe rabbit upon which it preys, the bobcat has natural "snowshoes"--its feet are expanded in winter by long hairs, which help support the animal on the snow.

A close cousin to the domestic dog is the COYOTE. This exceedingly cunning animal is actually extending its range, despite man's attempts to wipe it out, and is very common in the park. Few people fail to thrill upon first hearing its song--a high, staccato yipping often heard by visitors as they leave the evening talks at Moraine Park. You can expect to see coyotes almost anywhere in the park; early morning is a good time to look for them in the grassy meadows.

Another member of the dog family, the RED FOX, is seen occasionally by visitors. It is notoriously wary and cunning, and although less fleet-footed than the jackrabbit, it is faster than the coyote. Its family life meets with our approval, for the male actually feeds the female during the lying-in period, and at the risk of its own life leads hunters away from the den and its helpless occupants. It eats almost anything; small rodents are preferred.

People often bring back tales of an unusual animal on the trail above Bear Lake. Usually, they have seen the MARTEN, the largest of our remaining local weasels and an altogether interesting animal. This creature is at home in the treetops or on the forest floor. Like all weasels, it is a voracious feeder and a peril to its neighbors. It successfully hunts birds and squirrels in the trees, and preys on rats, rabbits, fish, grouse, frogs, insects, and other weasels. Its repertory of sounds includes hisses, squalls, barks, growls, and shrieks. It breeds in summer, but the young are not born until the following spring; its life span is about 18 years. It is closely related to the famous Russian sable, and has been nearly exterminated by trapping through most of its original range.

The MINK is rare in the park, but is occasionally seen on Glacier Creek. This member of the weasel family is an excellent swimmer, and catches fish with ease. Its dense and oily fur keeps it warm in cold water, but it lacks any other apparent adaptations to an aquatic life. So agile an animal has few natural enemies apart from disease; its most important predator is, oddly enough, the great horned owl. The young are born blind and helpless, and only the size of one's finger, but by summer's end they become self-sufficient.

The WEASEL is a small, sharp-eyed creature with an extremely long body, small triangular head, and furtive ways. Weasels are successful hunters, searching through brush piles and rock heaps and in underground burrows for rodents of all kinds. There are two species in the park--the LONGTAIL WEASEL and the SHORTTAIL WEASEL, or ERMINE. The latter is less than half as large as the former. Like that of certain other mountain dwellers, the fur of weasels becomes white as the snows of winter approach, replacing the brown of summer.

Horseback riders crossing Moraine Park and Beaver Meadows are usually wary of the large holes that are the work of the BADGER. Although a creature of the plains rather than of the mountains, the badger lives in some of the lower meadows of the park, and there have been reports of badgers being seen near Fall River Pass. It is a meat eater, and its large front feet have long claws, which enable it speedily to dig out a ground squirrel.

Gnawing Mammals

The YELLOWBELLY MARMOT, with its reddish underparts, grizzled back, and bushy tail, is seen by nearly all park visitors. Although it is more common in medium altitudes in the mountains, it also may be seen high along Trail Ridge Road, and a pair, reportedly, is living atop Longs Peak! These rodents live in dens, usually rockpiles, into which they pack twigs and grass to make a comfortable nest. They store up a heavy layer of fat in the summer and hibernate during the cold winter. Their natural food consists of grasses, berries, and roots. Their short, sharp whistle can be heard a mile away. During the summer, hikers occasionally see rather humanlike scenes, as marmot families sun themselves on the "front porches" of their rockpile homes.

The TASSEL-EARED, or ABERT, SQUIRREL is an excellent example of the zonal specialization of mammals. It is almost entirely restricted to the ponderosa pine forest belt. Its showy ear tufts, although often absent during the summer, set it apart from other local squirrels. It feeds mostly on ponderosa pine seeds, the bark of twigs and young trees of this species, and such wild fruits and succulent vegetation as are available. The Abert squirrel builds nests in the trees and is a familiar sight to hikers in the ponderosa pine forests. It is usually gray-colored, but may be brown or even completely black.

Another small arboreal rodent, the SPRUCE SQUIRREL, chatters and scolds when a stranger enters its patch of forest. It roams both the lodgepole pine and higher spruce-fir forests with their bitter winters, yet it does not hibernate. Even after the most severe storms it will emerge to travel through the treetop world it occupies. Some bird enthusiasts have little regard for it, because of its habit of eating eggs and young birds whenever the opportunity presents itself. However, in a National Park the squirrel's desire to live is considered to be as important as is the bird's. A certain "balance" of population is the result, which is, after all, one of the desirable features in an area dedicated to preserving natural conditions.

CHIPMUNKS are particularly familiar at Trail Ridge Road parking areas. These small squirrels are reddish-brown above, with white underparts and with four white stripes running along the back. A definite stripe across the face distinguishes them from the golden-mantled ground squirrels, with which they are often found.

The GOLDEN-MANTLED GROUND SQUIRREL is often confused with the smaller chipmunks which it joins in begging for visitor handouts at parking areas below treeline on Trail Ridge Road. Its natural food is succulent plant material and seeds, but many of the gregarious little animals are becoming more or less dependent upon food offered them by humans. You can see them most conveniently at Many Parks Curve.

Another little rodent, common in the lower meadows, is the RICHARDSON GROUND SQUIRREL ("picket pin"). It lives in colonies, after the fashion of the prairie dog of the plains. It is abundant in Moraine Park.

Relatively few park visitors see the BEAVER; but all can see examples of its work. It works at night as a rule, and usually remains out of sight when humans are abroad. These industrious rodents are much larger than the related chipmunks and marmots, and weigh as much as 90 pounds. Beaver pelts were part of the lure that led to the early exploration of the West. Almost exterminated about 50 years ago, they are now relatively abundant in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The beaver is well adapted to its water environment. The hindlegs are webbed for efficient swimming; the tail, broad and horizontally flattened, helps in underwater maneuvering. However, its swimming speed at the surface of the water is only about 2 miles per hour. Beaver can remain submerged for over 5 minutes; this ability helps in escaping enemies.

Beaver dams are abundant in the park. Many typical examples can be seen in Horseshoe Park, Moraine Park, Glacier Basin, and Hidden Valley, and along the Colorado River. Nearly all of the park trails pass beaver workings. The dams are built of various materials in this region, but most commonly of mud, parts of aspens, and debris. They are started from the upstream side--usually on shallow creeks--and as the water level rises so does the dam. The beaver uses its front paws almost as hands. The load of mud or sticks sometimes is carried by being pressed against the chest as the animal walks on its hind feet to the top of the structure it is building. The dam is made to create a stabilized water level. This is essential for protection of the beaver's island den--a lodge made of sticks and mud. The beaver house starts as a solid heap of debris, but the animal chews and digs out a couple of underwater tunnels, as well as one or more dome-shaped rooms with the floor a few inches above water level. In this dry retreat the beaver rests, sleeps, and rears its family. Few natural enemies can pursue it through the underwater entrances. Its food is chiefly aspen bark and twigs. A winter supply is stored under water during late summer.

Because of its energy, skill, and persistence, the beaver has become a symbol of industriousness. It is also often credited with more intelligence than it probably possesses. Its apparent industry and resourcefulness are due more likely to inherited instincts than to reasoning. At any rate, this large rodent is surely one of the most interesting animals in the park.

The MUSKRAT is frequently active in daylight hours. It lives in the same environment as the beaver, but in the park has a much more limited distribution and is confined to lower elevations. It builds lodges, too; they are much smaller than those of the beaver, and are largely composed of mud and plant material. The lodge serves as a secondary food source in the winter, and many muskrat houses are practically eaten away by spring. Unlike the beaver, a strict vegetarian, the muskrat eats fish, insects, and any birds it can catch, as well as plant food. This animal has not acquired the ability to build dams, but does make rafts of sticks and twigs. When seen closely, a muskrat is easily distinguished from a beaver, for it is smaller and has a slender, vertically flattened tail, quite unlike that of the beaver.

Probably everyone recognizes the PORCUPINE. It is a large, short-legged rodent, rather clumsy of behavior, and usually seen either sleeping or leisurely chewing the bark of a tree. The porcupine survives, despite its sluggish behavior, because of the protection afforded by some 30,000 quills in its pelage. Although it cannot "throw" these quills, they are very loosely attached, and when the tail is vigorously thrashed about it is inevitable that some of the quills become detached and fall away. The unlucky recipient of such a slap of the tail will be convinced that the quills were thrown, although the effective embedding of quills is done by direct contact.

The MOUNTAIN COTTONTAIL is often seen in the lower forests. Despite heavy predation by many natural enemies, the cottontail manages to maintain itself because of its high birth rate. One mother may produce a total of 25 young in the 4 or 5 litters born during the year. It is fairly small, grayish-brown in color, with rather short ears and a conspicuous cottony tail resembling a powder puff. It lives in underground burrows and retains the same color winter and summer.

The SNOWSHOE HARE nests on the surface of the ground. Its fur changes from grayish-brown in summer to white in winter. A denizen of the spruce-fir and lodgepole pine forests and of the tundra, it hops about the snow on its huge, furry, "snowshoe" feet, apparently finding the severe winters of the high country no great hardship. It is not common in the park, and therefore is not often seen.

Motorists on the highest parts of the Trail Ridge Road often see the PIKA, which looks like a small, grayish guinea pig but is really a close relative of the rabbit. It is found in the rock slides and talus piles in the high country mostly above treeline, and is seldom seen below 9,000 feet. Despite the subzero temperature of the tundra belt, it does not hibernate. Its habit of storing little bundles of mountain grasses and other alpine plants has given it the nickname of "alpine haymaker"; it is also sometimes called "cony"--a name better reserved for an unrelated Old World mammal. Look for the pika at Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road, it seems to have favorite sunning spots from which it greets the traveler with shrill shrieks.

Coldblooded Vertebrates

Many animals do not possess an adequate mechanism for maintenance of constant body heat. Some of these, taking advantage of the slowness with which water changes temperature, live mostly in an aquatic environment. Few can endure the cold winters of high altitudes.

Unlike other animals in National Parks, fish may be taken, under regulations designed to conserve the resource. As long as you have a State fishing license, you may exercise this privilege in Rocky Mountain National Park. The season and catch limits vary from year to year; you are urged to ask a park ranger about current regulations.

The original trout in the park is the BLACK-SPOTTED, or CUTTHROAT, TROUT. Once found only in the northern Rockies, it has been transplanted widely. It has numerous subspecies and color variations, but here it is usually an olive-green on back and upper sides, shading into a yellowish cast on lower sides. The lower surface becomes red at spawning time. The body and fins are black-spotted. The red streak on each side of the lower jaw has given it the name "cutthroat." Its principal foods are insects and small aquatic animals. Spawning takes place in midsummer in the high country.

The BROOK TROUT, originally native east of the Mississippi, was introduced into this park, where it has thrived and maintains itself through natural reproduction in many lakes and streams. It is olive-green to gray, with a sprinkling of red and gray spots on the sides. The front borders of the lower fins and the lower borders of the tail are white. Its food includes insects, worms, small minnows, and crustaceans. It spawns in autumn; the female deposits the eggs in a depression she scoops out in the streambed. After the eggs are fertilized, she covers them with gravel and leaves them to hatch unattended.

The RAINBOW TROUT is another nonnative trout of the park waters. Its original range was on the Pacific slope of the Sierras and the Cascades, but it has been transplanted widely. It is bluish-olive above the lateral line, changing to silvery-green on the sides. Its name is derived from a broad, reddish stripe on the sides. It eats insects, worms, and smaller fishes, and is a favorite of the angler for its fighting ability and tendency to break water when hooked. Spawning occurs from autumn to spring, depending on the altitude.

The most common amphibian in the park is the bright-green to tan LEOPARD FROG. Restricted to damp areas near ponds or creeks, it is most likely to be seen in spring and early summer when the gelatinous egg masses are being laid. The tadpoles develop into mature frogs in about 3 years. Until then, it lives on plant food; after maturity, it eats insects and worms. It is found in Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park, and other moist grassland valleys.

The THREE-LINED TREEFROG, our smallest amphibian--about an inch long--is often mistaken for a young leopard frog. Although it is a treefrog, possessing disks on its toes, it is seldom seen in trees; it prefers small ponds or swampy grassland. It is sometimes found under rockpiles or pieces of damp wood. Despite its small size, its loud chirps in spring and summer can be heard a half mile away. During its singing, a vocal sac beneath the lower jaw inflates to a size larger than the creatures head. It is easily recognized by the three stripes down its back. Look for this diminutive amphibian at Gem Lake.

The insectivorous MOUNTAIN TOAD, a nondescript denizen of marshy lake habitats, is common in Cub Lake Valley, Hallowell Park, and in the Ouzel Lake area in Wild Basin. In late spring, large numbers congregate in ponds to lay strings of eggs. The small tadpoles become adults by the end of summer.

The TIGER SALAMANDER is one of the oddest animals of the park. Salamanders do not walk out of fires, as medieval tradition had it, but are amphibians. Unlike frogs and toads however, they retain their tails after reaching maturity. They hatch from eggs in shallow ponds, breathe by means of feathery external gills at the back of the head. Later, the gills are absorbed and the salamander begins breathing with lungs; it then leaves the water for a moist underground burrow, returning to ponds in early spring to lay eggs on plants or debris in the water near the shore. In southern latitudes, the larvae (gill-breathing forms) are able to lay eggs; these are the _axolotls_ of Mexico. Our local variety of the tiger salamander is about 8 inches long, gray-brown with dark spots. It is found in Sheep Lake, around which large numbers occur during the spawning season in June, and is often seen in suitable habitats along Cub Lake Trail. It eats insects, insect larvae, worms, and small snails. It is harmless to humans.

The only reptile in the park is the MOUNTAIN GARTER SNAKE, which is found throughout the mountainous areas of Colorado. Because of its fondness for water, it is often erroneously called a "water snake." It is greenish-gray and may reach a length of over 2 feet. It feeds on frogs and worms; it is entirely harmless to man, but is capable of giving off an offensive odor when handled. The young are born alive in midsummer. These snakes may be seen near most of the marshy ponds or slow-moving streams in the park. The ponds in Cub Lake Valley and in Hallowell Park are favorite haunts of these interesting creatures.

No rattlesnakes or other poisonous reptiles have ever been found in the park. Reports of rattlesnakes near Glen Haven mark the highest known occurrences in this region--a fact that, while contributing to the visitor's peace of mind, puzzles many people. This absence, or relative scarcity, of cold-blooded animals is probably due to the climate--long, cold winters and chilly summer evenings. The lower amount of oxygen at high altitudes may also be a factor. On the tundra, many pools are free of ice for only about 6 weeks--scarcely time for frogs' eggs to hatch and for larvae to develop lungs before freeze-up. The cold nights, even in midsummer, would inhibit a large snake's movements to such a degree that it would probably starve. Thus you can hike in the park in confidence that you will encounter no poisonous snakes.

Birds

With over 226 different species listed in the most recent publication on local birds, it is difficult to give adequate attention to the subject in the limited space of this booklet. Park birds, like our human population, can be classified as visitors and residents. Occasionally a "straggler" appears, far from its usual haunts. Birds, like humans, can be further classified by their preferences as to locale. Just as some people prefer to visit the high peaks and tundras, so some birds prefer these areas. A few people come here only to fish; so does the belted kingfisher. Like most humans, many birds can be seen throughout the park, and the greatest variety and numbers occur in summer.

A number of park birds--both resident and migratory--have specific preferences. For instance, if a bird's diet is mostly seeds from pine cones, it will usually be found in pine forests. Typical park environments and the characteristic birdlife of zones are outlined in Appendix B. Most of the birds nest in these associations.

The lower altitudes of the park--ponderosa pine forests and grassy meadows--have a large, varied population of birds in summer. Here lives the STELLER'S JAY, easily recognized by its rich-blue wings, sharp crest, and saucy manner. The BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, like Steller's jay a member of the crow family, has a conspicuously long tail, a greenish-iridescent, black-and-white body, and a propensity for scavenging small animals killed by autos. The WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER is always associated with the ponderosa pine in which it pecks its sap holes; and the "red-naped sapsucker"--a subspecies of the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER--with bright-red throat and crown, is usually seen working on aspens. The GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE nests in the shrubs of the Montane zone during June. RED-EYED VIREOS, characterized by gray cap and black-bordered white stripe over the eye, are found in the forested valleys from June into August. The PIGMY NUTHATCH, a tiny, noisy bird with a brown head and white underparts, wanders in small, noisy flocks through the pine forests in spring and autumn but scatters during the nesting season. There is some migration of pigmy nuthatches to the plains when winter comes.