Wildlife of the Grand Canyon

Due to its sheer size and enormous differences in elevation, the Grand Canyon is home to a staggering number of unique animals which inhabit every possible ecological niche in this natural wonderland.

You will most certainly see Bighorn Sheep on the sides of the steepest cliffs. The males can be six feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds and have coiled horns. The females can easily be distinguished by their straight horns. You will also see many coyotes in the area of the Canyon. From a distance they can look like a medium-sized dog but as you get closer you will be able to distinguish them by their sharply pointed noses, and downward pointing tail. Coyotes will eat pretty well anything that's organic, so they thrive in environments where more conventional food sources are scarce.

One of the memorable sights in the Canyon area is the sight of a white tail dashing away at amazing speed, belonging to a startled Desert Cottontail. Once rendered extinct but then repopulated from herds in Yellowstone, the Roosevelt Elk can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds and up to five feet high at the shoulder. Cows are a little smaller but weigh only about half as much as a bull. The bulls grow astounding racks of antlers which they use as weapons against other bulls for the right to mate with the cows. They are mostly found around the Grandview Point area of the South Rim. Throughout the South Rim you will see plenty of Mule Deer which grow up to 200 pounds. Exercise extreme caution while driving at night as the Mule Deer are easily startled by headlights and have a nasty habit of jumping right in front of speeding vehicles.

The North Rim is home to over 100 mountain lions, incredibly fast, strong and fierce predators who can take down a bull elk several times their size. They grow up to six feet long but are experts in camouflage thus very few people have actually ever seen them.

The birds of the Grand Canyon include enormous Ravens up to 27 inches long, plus the great raptors: the Golden Eagle and the Bald Eagle, the symbol of our country. You will also see Peregrine Falcons, Red Tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls, plus Turkey Vultures and Wild Turkeys.

The bright sunshine of the canyon is lizard paradise, thus you will see Collared Lizards, Short Horned Lizards and especially down by the canyon floor, Chuckwallas who can inflate their loose skin to wedge themselves into cracks in the rocks. You might also be well advised to keep an eye out for the common Rattlesnakes, Scorpions and Black Widow spiders!

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