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.
[Illustration: Brown bear are present in the park, but not in large
numbers.]
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.
[Illustration: Young martens show the curiosity typical of their
kind.]
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.
[Illustration: Red fox.
--Drawing by Walter A. Weber.]