Capulin Volcano National Monument - Mammals (U.S. National Park Service)

Large mammals such as deer and bear will travel through the park, using areas for food and shelter. Because the park is small and contains no permanent water source, large animals must travel over great distances to survive.

color photograph of mule deer facing camera with large ears prominent

Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) live in forested and brushy areas. A large-eared deer, hence the name, the average adult stands about 3 1/2 feet tall. Females will weigh 70-160lbs. with males at 110-475lbs. Coat is reddish in the summer and blue-grey in the winter. Only the bucks have antlers, which are shed every year. When running away from an intruder, they will bounce with all four feet working together.

Deer and Elk grow antlers which are shed and regrown each year. Depending upon age and nutrition, antlers can have many branches and grow to spectacular size.
Pronghorn, sheep, goats, and bison grow true horns. These are bony outgrowths of the frontal bone. Horns are not branched, do not shed, and continue to grow throughout the animal's lifetime. Pronghorn do shed the sheath (made of keratin like your fingernails) on their horns each year.

NPS photo

Pronghorn

Pronghorn, sometimes known as the American antelope, and Elk may be occasional visitors to the monument.

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) inhabitat grasslands and prairies. The Pronghorn is named for the horns with a single flat, forward-curving prong. Both sexes are horned, although the females' are very small. They are 4 feet long and weigh 110 to 130 pounds A pronghorn uses its speed for defense and can run up to 84 miles per hour.

Elk (Cervus elaphus) are found in wooded places and high, sheltered mountain valleys. Elk may reach up to 8-10 feet long and weigh 600-1000 pounds. The elk is the largest member of the deer family in this area.

NPS photo

Yearling black bear cub

Black Bear (Ursus americanus) habitat in the west is wooded mountains. May grow up to 5 feet and weigh 200-500 pounds. Black bears are not always black and may vary from black to cinnamon brown.

Tracks, scat, and other evidence indicate the presence of a variety of other mammals. Scat on trails is often that of coyote, fox or bobcat. Trees have been stripped of bark by porcupines. Mice and gopher leave piles of dirt behind as they burrow. Pine cones chewed and stripped of seeds feed the rock squirrels and least chipmunks.

Full wildlife surveys have not been conducted in the park in recent years. A checklist of mammals from 1973 and a partial survey by the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program done in 2002 are the most current information we have available.