Ungulates

Hooves there?

Elk, mule and white-tailed deer, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat are all part of Waterton Lakes National Park's ecosystem. The park also maintains a small herd of plains bison. You are likely to see at least one of these animals if you visit Waterton Lakes National Park!

What are we talking about when we refer to ungulates? Ungulate means these mammals who have hooves. These animals share the same general classification, but the similarities end there.

Antlers and horns

Deer, elk and moose have true antlers which are shed annually. Antlers are normally only grown by males.

Bighorn sheep, bison and mountain goat have horns. Both males and females have horns, which are permanent, and grow throughout the life of the mammal. Did you know horns can be used to determine an animal's age?

A perfect home

The Foothills Parkland Ecoregion provides excellent ungulate habitat. The native fescue grasslands are nutrient dense, and often blown clear of snow by chinook winds in winter. Its sheltering aspen groves provide places for ungulates to rest and evade predators. The forest canopy lets sunlight filter through to the forest floor, where fresh shoots grow in the spring.

The Blakiston fan and other prairie areas are near water. The townsite’s summer gardens, provide a buffet of plants.

Elk (Cervus elaphus)

Elk, the second largest deer in the park, are a vital part of Waterton's ecology. A key herbivore, they are also the most numerous large animal in Waterton. Elk are also a major food source for predators such as cougars.

Elk move freely within the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, crossing the Canada-USA boundary, and onto lands outside the parks.

During fall and winter, they move through the park in large herds and hundreds are often seen on the Blakiston fan or other prairie areas in fall and winter.

In summer, elk herds disperse, often migrating to higher elevations. At this time, the females (cows) and their calves forage together while the males (bulls) form separate bachelor groups. During the fall rut (mating season), the bulls gather harems of up to 80 cows. The bulls thrash their antlers against bushes, rolling in mud wallows, and bugling to attract cows. Evenly matched bulls sometimes meet in combat to defend their harems.

Moose (Alces alces)

Moose are the largest member of the deer family. They are easily recognized by their long, thin legs and large overhanging muzzle. Males have large flattened antlers during the summer and fall months. A growth of skin and hair, called a dewlap, hangs from its neck. Usually solitary, moose are most active at dawn and dusk.

In the winter, moose frequent both Montane and Subalpine Ecoregions where they browse spruce, subalpine fir and shrubs like willows and dogwood. The deep snow at these higher elevation habitats discourages use by elk and deer.

In spring and summer, moose are usually found in wetlands, alongside lakes, streams and rivers, and in areas of new seasonal growth.

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

Mule deer are the typical deer of Waterton's mountains, valleys and developed areas. They are easily seen and often do not run away when approached. Many visitors believe they are tame and sometimes get too close to them. This places visitors at risk because these deer are wild and unpredictable. Please remember not to approach or feed any wildlife.

Mule deer are sometimes confused with white-tailed deer because of their white rump. Their distinguishing features include large "mule-like" ears and a black-tipped, white tail.

In summer, they eat shrubs and broad-leaved plants. Their winter diet is evergreens, saplings and shrubs. They often share winter range on open slopes and aspen forest with bighorn sheep and elk.

Mule deer have a rather amusing jumping or pogo-stick like gait while running. Like other deer, twin fawns are typical, born in early June. During this time female deer are very protective of their fawns and dog owners and parents of small children should be wary.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tailed deer are common in the aspen groves and prairie grasslands of the Foothills Parkland ecoregion. These deer have triangular brown tails. When the tail is upright, at any sign of danger, it shows a white underside.

White-tailed deer tend to be more wary of humans than the mule deer. However, white-tailed deer are expanding their range in North America, including Waterton, as they adapt to human-caused changes in the environment.

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Bighorn sheep are seasonal grazers, travelling between low grassy slopes in winter, and higher mountain meadows in winter and summer.

Bighorn sheep have a sandy-coloured coat and a white rump patch. Only the mature rams have large, curved horns. Immature males, and females have short, beige-coloured horns.

In Waterton, you'll find them on mountain slopes, developed sites, and travel corridors. Their normal diet is grasses, sedges and wildflowers. Their winter range is on drier slopes, where they can paw through the snow to reach food. The rocky ledges also provide important escape routes.

Bighorns form mixed herds in winter and separated herds in summer. The male herds tend to spend the summer at higher elevations than the female herds. During the mating season in the autumn, the rams battle for dominance, crashing horns together until the weaker animal gives up.

The Information Centre, Prince of Wales hill, townsite, and Red Rock Canyon are good places to see bighorn sheep grazing. Map of Waterton park.

Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus)

Mountain goats prefer Alpine and Subalpine Ecoregions in backcountry areas of Waterton, such as Goat Lake and Avion Ridge. They are rarely seen because of their cautious nature and rugged habitat. They have white coats, beards, and short, black dagger-like horns carried by both sexes. Females (nannies) and their offspring (kids) form groups during the summer, while the males (billies) are solitary.

Goats do not migrate seasonally, preferring to live year-round at high elevations. Goats are sometimes seen on the slopes of Mount Alderson (visible from the Red Rock Canyon parking lot), Upper Rowe Lake and Crypt Lake.

Bison (Bison Bison)

Historically, plains bison inhabited the prairie and east slopes of the mountains by the millions. Now, a small herd of them is maintained in a paddock within the park. A trail, exhibit and viewing road are also located there.

In winter, the bison are kept in an adjacent open winter paddock and are fed by the park wardens when required. Every few years the herd is culled to keep the population healthy and to make sure the carrying capacity of their paddock range is not exceeded.