The Rocky Mountains: Animals

Bears: Lots of bears live in the Rocky Mountains. They are the brown bear and the grizzly bear. Mainly omnivorous, they mostly feed on plants like leaves, berries, roots, fruits, and flowers but can also eat insects, small animals, carrion,and even people if threatened by them. Both only stay active in spring, summer, and fall but in winter they hibernate in a warm place. Bighorn Sheep: Bighorn Sheep also live in the Rocky Mountain region. Their horns can weigh up to 30 pounds, while the bighorn sheep itself weighs 300 pounds! A long time they used to live in Siberia, Russia, but they crossed the bering sea landbridge to North America when the landbridge formed. The landbridge was named Beringia. Bighorn Sheep are herbivores which mean they only eat plants, their diet are forbs, grasses, and shrubs.Mule deer: Many mule deer live in the Rocky Mountains. They get their name from their large mule like ears. Males are called bucks, females are called does, and young are called fawns. Buck's have large antlers that are used to fight off predators. Each year a male's antlers start to grow in spring, but are shed after mating season frommid-January to mid-April. In summer it forages herbaceous plants, and berries including blackberries, huckleberries, and thimbleberries. In winter it forages conifers including Douglas fir, cedar, aspen, willow,dogwood, juniper, and sage.2009年12月25日