Big Sky Country


	In western North America, the Rocky Mountains rise to snow-capped peaks. In this environment, life changes with elevation. Lichens and grasses are found near the mountain summits. Below the timberline, evergreen forests of spruce, fir, and pine clad the slopes. Mule deer and elk winter at lower levels, moving higher in the summer. Pumas and eagles range widely in search of food. In Native American times, the American Midwest was a vast expanse of grassland hosting millions of bison and pronghorns, miles of prairie dog towns, innumerable small mammals, and predators such as the coyote and wolf. From the Rockies eastward, the land gradually slopes downward toward the Mississippi. Short grasses of the high western plains merge with the tall grasses of the prairie lowlands to the east.

100 West Hersheypark Drive, P.O. Box 866, Hershey, PA 17033 - 717-534-3900 - ZooAmerica@HersheyPA.com

The Animals - Animal News :: North Woods :: Cactus Community :: Big Sky Country :: Eastern Woodlands :: Grassy Waters