Wildlife of the
High bare rocky mountain peaks that thrust up into the sky are a common sight in this region. Pockets of soil allow plants to gain a foothold and dot the area with some color. Average summer temperatures are about 15 degrees Celcius and winter temperatures average about minus 15 degrees Celcius. About 0.6m of precipitation falls annually in the form of snow. A thick blanket of snow covers the rock in the winter, making movement for animals difficult and many hibernate or migrate vertically.
Click on a wildlife category to find out which plants and animals make their home in the rocky mountains.
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common name |
latin name |
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common name |
latin name |
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Predators |
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Cougar |
Felis concolor |
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Lynx canadensis |
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Grizzly Bear |
Ursus arctos horribilis |
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Ursus americanus |
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Bobcat |
Lynx rufus |
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Red Fox |
Vulpes vulpes |
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Canis latrans |
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Gray Wolf |
Canis lupus |
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Badger |
Taxidea taxus |
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Deer |
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Mule Deer |
Odocoileus hemionus |
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Elk |
Cervus elaphus |
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Moose |
Alces alces |
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Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep |
Ovis canadensis |
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Mountain Goat |
Oreamnos americanus |
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Rodents |
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Hoary Marmot |
Marmota caligata |
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Rocky Mountain Pika |
Ochotona princeps |
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Red Squirrel |
Tamarius hudsonicus |
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Northern Flying Squirrel |
Glaucomys sabrinus |
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Porcupine |
Erethizon dorsatum |
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Mantled Groundsquirrels |
Spermophilus lateralis |
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Nortwestern Chipmunk |
Eutamias amoenus |
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Siberian Lemming |
Lemmus sibericus |
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Microtus richardsoni |
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Muskrat |
Ondatra zibethica |
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Weasels |
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Mink |
Mustela vison |
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Marten |
Martes |
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Long-tailed Weasel |
Mustela frenata |
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Wolverine |
Gulo luscus |
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River Otter |
Lutra canadensis |
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Insectivores |
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Little Brown Bat |
Myotis lucifugus |
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Northern Long-eared Bat |
Myotis septentrionalis |
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Long-legged Myotis |
Myotis volans |
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Big Brown Bat |
Eptesisus fuscus |
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Hoary Bat |
Lasiurus cinereus |
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Silver-haired Bat |
Lasionycteris noctivaganscinereus |
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common name |
latin name |
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Perching Birds |
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Clarke's Nutcracker |
Nucifraga columbiana |
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Gray Jay |
Perisoreus canadensis |
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Cyanocitta stellari |
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Mountain Chickadee |
Parus gambeli |
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Mountain Bluebird |
Sialia currucoides |
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Raven |
Corvus corax |
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Common Crow |
Corvus brachyrhynchos |
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Common Flicker |
Colaptes auratus |
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Three-toed Woodpecker |
Picoides tridactylus |
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Downy Woodpecker |
Picoides pubescens |
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Hairy Woodpecker |
Picoides villosus |
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Belted Kingfisher |
Ceryle alcyon |
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Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
Archilochus colubris |
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Song Sparrow |
Melospiza melodia |
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Red-winged Blackbird |
Agelaius phoeniceus |
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birds of prey |
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Golden Eagle |
Aquila chrysaetos |
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Osprey |
Pandion haliaetus |
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American Kestrel |
Falco sparverius |
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Red-tailed hawk |
Buteo jamaicensis |
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Sharp-shinned Hawk |
Accipiter striatus |
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Northern Harrier |
Circus cyaneus |
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ground birds
(chicken-like birds) |
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White-tailed Ptarmigan |
Lagopus leucurus |
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Spruce Grouse |
Dendragapus canadensis |
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common name |
latin name |
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Western Terrestrial Garter Snake |
Thamnophis elegans |
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Common Garter Snake |
Thamnophis sirtalis |
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common name |
latin name |
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Mountain Rhododendron |
Rhododendron albiflorum |
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Bear Grass |
Xerophyllum tenax |
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Rocky Mountain Juniper |
Juniperus scopulorum |
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Glacier Lily |
Erythrnium grandiflorum |
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Highbush Cranberry |
Vibernum trilobum |
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Brown-eyed Susan |
Gaillardia aristata |
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Lyall's Mariposa Lily (rare) |
Calochortus lyallii |
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Mountain Alder |
Alnus tenuifolia |
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Common Juniper |
Juniperus |
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Pine Grass |
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common name |
latin name |
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Wood Frog |
Rana sylvatica |
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Western Toad |
Bufo boreas |
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Eastern Long-toed Salamander |
Ambystoma macrodactylum |
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common name |
latin name |
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Cynthia cardui |
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latin name |
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latin name |
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