Smile! Rocky Mountain Critters Caught on Camera

BLM Bear

black bear poses

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

A black bear caught on film by Bureau of Land Management Colorado cameras.

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn sheep drinking

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

A herd of bighorn sheep drinks from a BLM-provided water tank on public lands.

Black Bear

Black bear near water tank

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

A black bear roams in the range of a BLM "critter cam" set by the Royal Gorge Field Office in Colorado.

Scruffy Bear

Black bear walking in mountains

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

Looking a bit mussed, a black bear walks against a panoramic backdrop on Colorado public lands.

Bobcat

Bobcat on critter cam

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

A curious bobcat captured by the BLM Colorado's "critter cams."

Coyote

Coyote and water tank

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

A coyote investigates a water tank set out by BLM officials to manage grazing and provide water for wildlife on public lands.

Mountain Lion

Mountain lion in rocky mountains

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

Mountain lions are rarely glimpsed by humans in the wild, but this one approached the BLM's cameras.

Coyote

Coyote at water tank

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

A coyote drinks from a BLM water tank in Colorado.

Sunrise Deer

Deer at sunrise

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

Sunrise paints the sky pink as a deer walks by a BLM "critter cam."

Elk

Elk on BLM camera

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

Is someone taking pictures? An elk investigates the BLM cameras.

Elk Drinking

Elk at water tank

(Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Colorado)

An elk gets a drink from a BLM watering hole.

Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.