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Five biotic life zones makes Grand Canyon National Park a very
diverse area for wildlife. The park supports an amazing 88 species
of mammals, 287 bird species, and 58 species of reptiles and amphibians.
After spending a few days in the park, you begin to get a feel
for specific habitat nooks. There are three main habitat areas
in the park - the Colorado River corridor, the coniferous forest,
and the woodland scrub/desert community. All offer their own unique
wildlife. A word of caution - Grand Canyon National Park is home
to six species of rattlesnake. Watch where you step.
If you are after the larger mammals, the coniferous forest habitat
is your best bet. This includes black bear, mule deer, porcupines,
fox, racoon, coyote, bobcat, abert's, red and kaibab squirrels,
and elk. Goshawks and spotted owls also call this forest home.
The Colorado River corridor offers beavers, mice, bats, ringtails,
spotted skunks, coyote, racoon, weasel, gray fox, desert bighorn
sheep, mule deer and bald eagles.
The woodland scrub areas offer habitat for bats, mice, rats, and
bobcat. The cliffs in the park are home to the rare peregrine
falcon as well as the endangered California condor( on the eastern
side of the park). The California condor was almost completely
wiped out in the U.S. and was placed on the endangered species
list in 1967. In October 1996, 6 California condors were reintroduced
to an area about 30 miles north of the Grand Canyon. After a short
acclimation period in pens overlooking the Kaibab plateau, the
condors were released into the wild, and the first condor since
1924 soared in the Arizona sky. There are now 60 condors calling
Arizona home, and many inhabit the Grand Canyon. The return of
the condor is something we can all be proud of.
Grand Canyon National Park is also home to the the mountain lion.
However, the population largely stays on the north and south rims,
only venturing below the rim for rest during the day or possibly
hunting. There is one example of a male mountain lion going down
the South Rim, crossing the Colorado and going over the North
Rim in 8 hours!
If you wish to take images in the park, a good bet would be an
ultra wide angle (10-17mm on a 1.6x crop DLSR, 16-22mm on a full
frame DSLR), at least 200mm for telephoto, and a good standard
zoom (17mm to 50mm on 1.6x crop DSLR).
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