Grand Canyon: Fauna

Although the main attractions of the Grand Canyon are, of course, the vistas, the park boasts some interesting fauna as well. One thing you adjust to when living in the desert are the reptiles. Especially the lizards. Recently there have been baby lizards, only about 2-3 inches long, skittering away from me when I walk along the sidewalk near my apartment. We saw plenty of lizards in the Grand Canyon as well, and these two didn't scamper off quite so quickly.

According to the National Park Service, there are 41 species of reptiles in the park, including 18 lizard species. I believe the one above, shown closer below, is an ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus), which are common in this area.

Identifying lizards reminds me, oddly enough, of identifying fish, especially those in coral reefs. Specifically, coloration is often unhelpful and even misleading. You have to look for underlying morphological characteristics because coloration can vary wildly from individual to individual, and sometimes even a given individual's coloration can change over time or depending on location and lighting.

I think this one is a western whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris).

There were a variety of birds in the park, big and small. We saw many swallows, including some that nested on the cliffs of the canyon. Unfortunately, we did not see the largest birds in the park, the California Condors, which have been reintroduced to the park.

The largest birds we saw were a few hawks, probably red-tails or maybe cooper's, swooping past overhead. And of course, ravens (Corvus corax). Although they are abundant, especially in national parks, I always enjoy watching them. The ones around our campsite were particularly talkative, which was especially amusing.

This gorgeous scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica) was hopping around very close to the so-called trail of time, which follows the rim near the geology museum.

Undoubtedly the most impressive fauna we saw were two elk (Cervus canadensis), who were walking calmly through the trees along the side of the road one day as we drove past. It's remarkably easy to forget how large they are until you're face to face with them.

Number one...

Followed by number two...

And at the other extreme, there were the astoundingly adorable cliff chipmunks (originally Tamias dorsalis, now Neotamias dorsalis). Somehow their cuteness never wears off.

And then, of course, there were the squirrels. This one was foraging in the shrubs adjacent to one of the major hiking trails, paying us no attention at all.

Yum!

As is unfortunately common at parks, many of the squirrels had clearly been fed by people and were far too tame and bold. One, in particular, was so unafraid of us that while we were sitting and taking a break on our hike, climbed onto our backpacks in search of food.

In addition to the fauna pictured, we also saw mule deer along the road into the park, just past the entrance, and we think we saw a bobcat cross the road one evening in the dark. But alas, no photos. One of many reasons to return in the future!