Contrary to popular belief, bugling is neither a challenge nor a threat. The crisp air of late September carries the bugling of bulls, signaling the beginning of the rut, or mating, season. Cow and calves follow bulls to summer range, and the great winter herds break up into smaller bands. Winter herds disband as bulls move first to summer range, following the retreating snowline and the advance of green herbage. Winter elk herds are large, ranging from fifty to several hundred individuals of both sexes. Their current preference for forest cover is thought to be an innovation, as their herding behavior is typical of mammals that live in open country. The North American elk is a gregarious grazer, feeding mostly on grasses and forbs instead of shrubs. Historical estimates suggest that the elk population might have exceeded 10 million prior to European arrival on the continent in 1492. Elk arrived in northern Colorado about 8,000–10,000 years ago and in southern Colorado about 4,000–5,000 years ago. Their distribution and abundance in North America ebbed and flowed in relation to periods of glaciation, but they roamed from northern Canada into Mexico. Elk, or wapiti-a Shawnee Indian term for the animals-moved across the Bering Strait from Asia at least 120,000 years ago. Historically, Colorado’s elk populations have oscillated widely. In addition to drawing tourists, the state’s elk populations also attract hunters from around the globe. Each year, millions of people travel to Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado’s National Forests to catch a glimpse of these animals. Revered as a symbol of the American West, they have played an important role in Colorado’s ecology and natural history. Rocky Mountain Elk ( Cervus canadensis nelsoni) are large mammals in the deer family that live in Colorado’s forests.
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