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Source:
Moon Handbooks
Canadian Rockies
4th Edition About this
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Highlights of the
Canadian Rockies
Introduction
Slide show
Geology
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Banff
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Wildlife of the Canadian Rockies
One of the biggest attractions of the Canadian Rockies is the abundance of
wildlife, especially large mammals such as elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and
bears, which are widespread and easily viewed throughout the mountains.
THE DEER FAMILY
Mule Deer
and White-tailed Deer
Mule deer and white-tailed deer are similar in size and appearance. Their
color varies with the season but is generally light brown in summer,
turning dirty-gray in winter. While both species are considerably smaller
than elk, the mule deer is a little stockier than the white-tailed deer.
The mule deer has a white rump, a white tail with a dark tip, and large
mule-like ears. It inhabits open forests along valley floors. Waterton
townsite has a healthy population of mule deer. The white-tailed deer's
tail is dark on top. But when the animal runs, it holds its tail erect,
revealing an all-white underside. White-tails frequent thickets along the
rivers and lakes of the foothills. They are most common on the British
Columbia side of the Continental Divide.
Elk
The elk, or wapiti, is the most widespread and common of the larger
mammals living in the Canadian Rockies. It has a tan body with a
dark-brown neck, dark-brown legs, and a white rump. This second-largest
member of the deer family weighs 250-450 kg (550-1,000 lbs) and stands 1.5
meters (five feet) at the shoulder. Beginning each spring, stags grow an
impressive set of antlers, covered in what is known as "velvet." The
velvet contains nutrients that stimulate antler growth. By fall, the
antlers have reached their full size and the velvet is shed. Rutting
season takes place between August and October; listen for the shrill
bugles of the stags serenading the females. During the rut, randy males
will challenge anything with their antlers and can be dangerous. The stags
shed their antlers each spring, but don't relax too much--also in spring,
females protecting their young can be equally dangerous. Large herds of
elk live in around the towns of Banff and Jasper, often nonchalantly
wandering along streets and feeding on tasty plants in residential
gardens, and always safe from predators.
Moose
The giant of the deer family is the moose, an awkward-looking mammal that
appears to have been designed by a cartoonist. It has the largest antlers
of any animal in the world, stands up to 1.8 meters (six feet) at the
shoulder, and weighs up to 500 kg (1,100 lbs). Its body is dark brown, and
it has a prominent nose, long spindly legs, small eyes, big ears, and an
odd flap of skin called a "bell" dangling beneath its chin. Apart from all
that, it's good-looking. Each spring the bull begins to grow palm-shaped
antlers that by August will be fully grown. Moose are solitary animals
preferring marshy areas and weedy lakes, but they are known to wander to
higher elevations searching out open spaces in summer. They forage in and
around ponds on willows, aspen, birch, grasses, and all aquatic
vegetation. They are not particularly common in the Canadian Rockies,
numbering around 350. Although they may appear docile, moose will attack
humans if they feel threatened.
Caribou
Small populations of caribou inhabit the backcountry of Banff and Jasper
National Parks. Native people named the animal "caribou" ("hoof scraper")
for the way in which they feed in winter, scraping away snow with their
hooves. Caribou are smaller than elk and have a dark-brown coat with
creamy patches on the neck and rump. Both sexes grow antlers--those of the
females are shorter and have fewer points. On average males weigh 180 kg
(400 lbs), females 115 kg (250 lbs). Like the elk, they breed in fall,
with the males gathering a harem.
BEARS
The two species of bears present in the mountains--black bears and
grizzlies--can be differentiated by size and shape. Grizzlies are larger
than black bears and have a flatter, dish-shaped face and a distinctive
hump of muscle behind their neck. Color is not a reliable way to tell them
apart. Black bears are not always black. They can be brown or cinnamon,
causing them to be confused with the brown-colored grizzly.
Black Bears
If you spot a bear feeding beside the road, chances are it's a black bear.
These mammals are widespread throughout all forested areas of the Canadian
Rockies, and are good
swimmers and climbers. Their weight varies considerably, but males average
150 kg (330 lbs) and females 100 kg (220 lbs). Their diet is omnivorous,
consisting primarily of grasses and berries but supplemented by small
mammals. They are not true hibernators, but in winter they can sleep for
up to a month at a time before changing position. During this time, their
heartbeat drops to 10 beats per minute, body temperature drops, and they
lose up 30 percent of their body weight. Females reach reproductive
maturity after five years; cubs, usually two, are born in late winter,
while the mother is still asleep.
Grizzly
Bears
Grizzlies, second largest of eight recognized species of bears (only polar
bears are larger), have disappeared from most of North America but are
widespread throughout the Canadian Rockies, numbering around 300 in the
region. Grizzlies are only occasionally seen by casual observers; most
sightings occur in alpine and subalpine zones, although sightings at lower
elevations are not unusual, especially when snow falls early or late. The
bears' color ranges from light brown to almost black, with dark tan being
the most common. On average, males weigh 200-350 kg (440-770 lbs). The
bears eat small and medium-sized mammals, and berries in fall. Like black
bears, they sleep through most of the winter. When they emerge in early
spring, the bears scavenge carcasses of animals that succumbed to the
winter, until the new spring vegetation becomes sufficiently plentiful.
Females first give birth at four years old, and then every three years,
with cubs remaining with their mother for up to 2-3 years.
WILD DOGS AND CATS
Coyotes
The coyote is often mistaken for a wolf when in fact it is much smaller,
weighing up to only 15 kg (33 lbs). It has a pointed nose and long bushy
tail. Its coloring is a mottled mix of brown and gray, with
lighter-colored legs and belly. The coyote is a skillful and crafty
hunter, preying mainly on rodents. Coyotes have the remarkable ability to
hear the movement of small mammals under the snow, allowing them to hunt
these animals without actually seeing them. They are often seen patrolling
the edges of highways and crossing open meadows in low-lying valleys.
Wolves
Wolves that inhabit the Canadian Rockies are larger than coyotes, and
larger than the wolves of eastern Canada. They weigh up to 60 kg (132
lbs), stand up to a meter (3.2 feet) high at the shoulder, and resemble
large huskies or German shepherds. Their color ranges from snow-white to
brown or black; those in the Canadian Rockies are, most often, shades of
gray. They usually hunt in packs of up to eight members, traveling,
hunting, and resting together, and adhering to a hierarchical social
order. As individuals, also, they are complex and intriguing, capable of
expressing happiness, humor, and loneliness.
Once the target
of a relentless campaign to exterminate the species, the wolf has made an
incredible comeback in the Canadian Rockies; today around 120 wolves roam
the region.
Cougars
Rarely encountered by casual hikers, cougars (known in other parts of
North America as mountain lions, pumas, or catamounts) measure up to 1.5
meters (five feet) long. The average male weighs 75 kg (165 lbs) and the
female 40-55 kg (90-120 lbs). Cougars are versatile hunters whose acute
vision takes in a peripheral span in excess of 200 degrees. They typically
kill a large mammal such as an elk or deer every 12-14 days, eating part
of it and caching the rest. Their diet also includes chipmunks, ground
squirrels, snowshoe hares, and occasionally porcupines. Their athletic
prowess puts Olympians to shame. They can spring forward more than eight
meters from a standstill, leap four meters into the air, and safely jump
from a height of 20 meters (65 feet).
The cougar is a
solitary animal with distinct territorial boundaries. This limits its
population density, which in turn means that its overall numbers are low.
They are most common in the foothills along the eastern slopes of the
Canadian Rockies.
Lynx
The elusive lynx is identifiable by its pointy black ear tufts and an
oversized "tabby cat" appearance. The animal has broad, padded paws that
distribute its weight, allowing it to "float" on the surface of snow. It
weighs up to 10 kg (22 lbs), but appears much larger because of its coat
of long, thick fur. The lynx, uncommon but widespread throughout the
region, is a solitary creature that prefers the cover of subalpine
forests, feeding mostly at night on snowshoe hares and other small
mammals.
OTHER LARGE MAMMALS
Mountain
Goats
The remarkable rock-climbing ability of these nimble-footed creatures
allows them to live on rocky ledges or near-vertical slopes, safe from
predators. They also frequent the alpine meadows and open forests of the
Canadian Rockies, where they congregate around natural licks of salt. The
goats stand one meter at the shoulder and weigh 65-130 kg (140-290 lbs).
Both sexes possess a peculiar beard, or rather, goatee. Both sexes have
horns. It is possible to determine the sex by the shape of the horns;
those of the female grow straight up before curling slightly backward,
while those of the male curl back in a single arch. The goats shed their
thick coats each summer, making them look ragged. But by fall they've
regrown a fine, new white woolen coat.
Bighorn
Sheep
Bighorn sheep are some of the most distinctive mammals of the Canadian
Rockies. Easily recognized by their impressive horns, they are often seen
grazing on grassy mountain slopes or at salt licks beside the road. The
color of their coat varies with the season; in summer it's a brownish gray
with a cream-colored belly and rump, turning lighter in winter. Fully
grown males can weigh up to 120 kg (270 lbs), while females generally
weigh around 80 kg (180 lbs). Both sexes possess horns, rather than
antlers like members of the deer family. Unlike antlers, horns are not
shed each year and can grow to astounding sizes. The horns of rams are
larger than those of ewes and curve up to 360 degrees. The spiraled horns
of an older ram can measure over one meter (3.2 feet) and weigh as much as
15 kg (33 lbs). During the fall mating season, a hierarchy is established
among the rams for the right to breed ewes. As the males face off against
each other to establish dominance, their horns act as both a weapon and a
buffer against the head butting of other rams. The skull structure of the
bighorn, rams in particular, has become adapted to these head-butting
clashes, keeping the animals from being knocked unconscious.
Bighorn sheep
are particularly tolerant of humans and often approach parked vehicles;
although they are not especially dangerous, as with all mammals, you
should not approach or feed them.
Bison
Before the arrival of Europeans, millions of bison roamed the North
American plains, with some entering the valleys of the Canadian Rockies to
escape harsh winters. A number of factors contributed to their decline,
including the combined presence of explorers, settlers, and natives. By
the 1800s they were wiped out, and since then a couple of attempts at
reintroduction have taken place, including the release of a small herd in
Jasper National Park. (No one has sighted them for many years). Today,
your best chance of viewing these shaggy beasts is in Waterton Lakes
National Park, where a small herd is contained in the "buffalo paddock."
SMALL MAMMALS
Beavers
One of the animal kingdom's most industrious mammals is the beaver.
Growing to a length of 50 centimeters (20 inches) and tipping the scales
at around 20 kg (44 lbs), it has a flat, rudderlike tail and webbed back
feet that enable it to swim at speeds up to 10 kph (six mph). The
exploration of western Canada can be directly attributed to the beaver,
whose pelt was in high demand in fashion-conscious Europe in the early
1800s. The beaver was never entirely wiped out from the mountains, and
today the animals can be found in almost any forested valley with flowing
water. Beavers build their dam walls and lodges of twigs, branches, sticks
of felled trees, and mud. They eat the bark and smaller twigs of deciduous
plants and store branches underwater, near the lodge, as a winter food
supply.
Squirrels
Several species of squirrel are common in the Canadian Rockies. The
golden-mantled ground squirrel, found in rocky outcrops of subalpine and
alpine regions, has black
 stripes
along its sides and looks like an oversized chipmunk. Most common is the
Columbian ground squirrel, which lives in burrows, often in open
grassland. It is recognizable by its reddish legs, face, and underside,
and a flecked, grayish back. The bushy-tailed red squirrel, bold
chatterbox of the forest, leaves telltale shelled cones at the base of
conifers. Another member of the species, the nocturnal northern flying
fox, glides through the montane forests of mountain valleys but is rarely
seen.
Hoary
Marmots
High in the mountains, above the tree line, hoary marmots are often seen
sunning themselves on boulders in rocky areas or meadows. They are stocky
creatures, weighing 4-9 kg (9-19 lbs). When danger approaches, these large
rodents emit a shrill whistle to warn their colony. Marmots are only
active for a few months each summer, spending up to nine months a year in
hibernation.
Porcupines
This small, squat animal is easily recognized by its thick coat of quills.
It eats roots and leaves, but is also known as being destructive around
wooden buildings and vehicle tires. Porcupines are common and widespread
throughout all forested areas, but they're hard to spy since they feed
most often at night.
Other
Rodents
Widespread throughout western Canada, muskrats make their mountain home in
the waterways and wetlands of all low-lying valleys. They are agile
swimmers, able to stay submerged for up to 12 minutes. They grow to a
length of 35 cm (18 inches), but the best form of identification is the
tail, which is black, flat, and scaly. Closely related to muskrats are
voles, often mistaken for mice. They inhabit grassed areas of most valley
floors.
Shrews
A member of the insectivore family, the furry shrew has a sharp-pointed
snout and is closely related to the mole. It must eat almost constantly as
it is susceptible to starvation within only a few hours of its last meal.
Another variety present throughout the region, the pygmy shrew, is the
world's smallest mammal; it weighs just four grams (0.1 ounces).
Pikas
Pikas, like rabbits, are lagomorphs, which are distinguished from rodents
by a double set of incisors in the upper jaw. The small, grayish-colored
pika is a neighbor to the marmot, living among the rubble and boulders of
scree slopes above timberline.
Weasels
The weasel family, comprising 70 species worldwide, is large and diverse,
but in general, all members have long slim bodies and short legs, and all
are carnivorous and voracious eaters, consuming up to one-third of their
body weight each day. Many species can be found in the Canadian Rockies,
including the wolverine, largest of the weasels worldwide, weighing up to
20 kg (44 lbs). Known to natives as <I>carcajou, meaning "evil one," the
wolverine is extremely powerful, cunning, and cautious. This solitary
creature inhabits forests of the subalpine and lower alpine regions,
feeding on any available meat, from small rodents to the carcasses of
larger mammals. Rarely sighted by humans, the wolverine is a true symbol
of the wilderness. The fisher has the same habitat as the wolverine, but
is much smaller, reaching just five kg (11 lbs) in weight and growing to
60 cm (24 inches) in length. This nocturnal hunter preys on small birds
and rodents, but reports of fishers bringing down small deer have been
made. Smaller still is the marten, which lives most of its life in the
trees of the subalpine forest, preying on birds, squirrels, mice, and
voles. Weighing just one kg (2.2 lbs) is the mink, once highly prized for
its fur. At home in or out of water, it feeds on muskrats, mice, voles,
and fish. Mink numbers in the Canadian Rockies are low. As well as being
home to the largest member of weasel family, the region also holds the
smallest--the least weasel (the world's smallest carnivore), which grows
to a length of just 20 cm (eight inches) and weighs a maximum of 60 grams
(two ounces). Chiefly nocturnal, it feeds mostly on mice and lives
throughout open wooded areas, but it not particularly common.
BIRDS
Bird-watching
is popular in the mountains, thanks to the approximately 300 resident bird
species and the millions of migratory birds that pass through each year.
All it takes is a pair of binoculars, a good book detailing species, and
patience. Dense forests hide many species, making them seem less common
than they actually are. The Columbia River wetland, between Radium Hot
Springs and Golden, lies on the Pacific Flyway and is a major
bird-watching area.
Raptors
A wide variety of raptors are present in the Canadian Rockies--some call
the mountains home year-round, while others pass through during annual
spring and fall migrations. Golden eagles migrate across the Canadian
Rockies, heading north in spring to Alaska and crossing back over in fall
enroute to Midwest wintering grounds. Golden eagles--over 10,000 of them
annually--soar high above the mountains on thermal drafts. Bald eagles
also soar over the Canadian Rockies during annual migrations; mature birds
can be distinguished from below by their white head and tail (immature
birds resemble the dark brown-colored golden eagle). Ospreys spend summers
in the region, nesting high up in large dead trees, on telephone poles, or
on rocky outcrops, but always overlooking water. They feed on fish,
hovering up to 50 meters (160 feet) above water, watching for movement,
then diving into the water, thrusting their legs forward and collecting
prey in their talons.
Distinct from
all species listed above are a group of raptors that hunt at night. Best
known as owls, these birds are rarely seen due to their nocturnal habits
but are widespread through forested areas of the mountains. Most common is
the great horned owl, identified by its prominent "horns," which are
actually tufts of feathers. Also present is the snowy owl and in the north
of the region, the largest of the owls, the great gray owl, which grows to
a height of 70 centimeters (2.4 feet).
Others
Bird-watchers will be enthralled by the diversity of eastern and western
bird species in the Canadian Rockies. Widespread are magpies, sparrows,
starlings, grouse, ravens, and crows. Blackbirds, finches, thrushes,
hummingbirds, woodpeckers, flycatchers, and 28 species of warblers are
common in forested areas. Ptarmigan are common in open meadows above the
treeline. The popular campground visitor, the cheeky gray jay, is similar
in appearance to that of the curious Clark's nutcracker.
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