Nature & Environment

'Unicorn' shows up on game camera in Petrified Forest National Park

By T.K. Randall
November 28, 2023 ·  1 comment

Not your typical unicorn... Image Credit: Facebook / Petrified Forest National Park In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek post earlier this month, officials at Petrified Forest National Park posted up game camera images of a 'unicorn' that was spotted during a full moon.

"The full moon brings out the park's unicorns," the post on the park's Facebook page reads.

Sure enough, the images do appear to show a four-legged animal with a single horn on its head, but far from being an example of the unicorns of fantasy, this particular creature happens to be something a little bit more grounded in the real world.

"This young male elk (Cervus canadensis) was caught on one of the park's game cameras during last month's full moon," park officials explained."The first set of antlers that yearling male elk grow are single beams with typically no forks or tines."

"These young males are commonly referred to as 'spikes.' The shedding of antlers typically occurs in late winter or early spring, but early antler loss can result from sparring, poor nutrition, or disease/injuries that affect testosterone levels."

"With the next full moon occurring on November 27th, we'll be sure to watch for... Pegasuses?! Pegasi?! Whatever the plural term is for flying horses is."



Source: Facebook | Comments (1)

Tags: Unicorn