Wildlife

The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep ( Ovis Canadensis ) is one of four native sheep species that inhabit the North American continent and the only one that resides in Colorado. Bighorn sheep play a key role in bringing tourist and revenue into the state. Characteristics and Habits ...

Conservation efforts and reintroduction of the American bison ( Bison bison ) in Colorado began in Denver during the early twentieth century. By that time, the bison population had declined precipitously since the mid-nineteenth century because of overhunting and the development of cities,...

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease that affects members of the deer family, causing erratic behavior and weight loss that eventually results in death. CWD is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), a family of diseases that includes bovine...

Colorado’s “Second Fur Trade ” was typified by the burgeoning popularity of mink fur coats, a luxury item that enjoyed great popularity during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. As one of Colorado’s leading productive industries for several decades, mink farming is an example of the state’s transition...

One of the most ecologically and culturally significant trees in Colorado, the plains cottonwood ( Populus deltoides monilifera ) thrives near rivers and riparian areas throughout the state. It is one of the only tree species to grow on Colorado’s Great Plains , which made it an important source of...

In the early to mid-1800s, when Europeans and Euro-Americans began arriving in what is now Colorado, they encountered a landscape that was significantly different from what we see today. The changes that have occurred to the landscape since then have had significant impacts on the state’s natural...

The mountain lion ( Puma concolor )—also known as the cougar and puma—is the largest wild felid, or member of the cat family, in Colorado. Mountain lions are obligate carnivores, meaning that only animal flesh can meet their bodies’ nutritional needs. They inhabit much of Colorado’s foothills and...

Mule deer ( Odocoilus hemionus ) belong to the Cervidae family, hoofed mammals that have antlers, which also include elk ( Cervus elaphus ), moose ( Alces alces ), and caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ). There are numerous sub-classifications of deer, but the most distinctive include mule deer and white...

Rocky Mountain Elk ( Cervus canadensis nelsoni ) are large mammals in the deer family that live in Colorado’s forests. Revered as a symbol of the American West, they have played an important role in Colorado’s ecology and natural history. Each year, millions of people travel to Rocky Mountain...

Sagebrush (genus Artemisia ) is one of the most common and recognizable plants on Colorado’s Western Slope and arid Great Plains . A woody, fragrant, faded-green bush, sagebrush is ubiquitous throughout drier parts of the American West, covering some 106 million acres of the region. This makes...

The Lark Bunting, Calamospiza melanocoryus Stejneger , was adopted as the official state bird on April 29, 1931. The Lark Bunting is a migrant bird. Flocks arrive in April and inhabit the plains regions and areas up to 8,000 feet in elevation. They fly south again in September. The male bird is...

Sunflowers, several species of which are native to Colorado, are grown as ornamental garden plants, for their edible seeds, and as commercial crops for confection seeds and oil. Sunflowers offer many ecological and economic benefits to commercial agriculture because they demand few inputs, such as...