| Top Sighting Photo |
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Week of June 4th-10th |
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A bull (male) elk sheds his antlers each winter, and grows new ones each spring. During active growth, before the antlers have fully developed , they are covered with a soft layer of skin known as “velvet.” The velvet is shed in the summer, and can often be seen hanging from the antlers. The bull will scrape along surfaces like the trunks of trees, or thick brush, to help the shedding process. Contrary to popular belief, the number if tines on an elk’s antlers has very little to do with the age, or maturity, of the animal.
In this week’s “Top Sighting Photo,” two bull elk, both still in velvet, gaze downward on a Canyon hillside. The photo was taken near the Upper Falls parking turnoff, on the east side of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Believe it or not, scenes like this aren’t all that uncommon in Yellowstone. Elk typically spend most of the year in single-sex groups. This means that when you see a bull elk, the chances are good that more are nearby. The only exception, of course, is during the rut, or mating season.
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