I failed to warn you that, at times, this blog may become the science lesson of the day.
This large bull elk is resting in a field not far from where Mary's Lake Road intersects Hwy 66 on the west side of Estes Park. Elk are members of the deer family which means they are ruminants, a category of animals that also includes cows, goats, buffalo, bison, giraffe, and moose.
Ruminants have a four-compartment stomach. The first part, or rumen, is essentially a storage area for food that is quickly consumed, then later regurgitated, re-chewed, and re-swallowed. The rumen is a large fermentation vat containing billions of microorganisms, which allow ruminants to digest fibrous feeds such as grass and hay that other animals cannot efficiently utilize.
So, if you see all those elk lying out in the field and they look like they're not doing anything, that is not the case. They are very busy ruminating.
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