Full Moon brings out 'unicorn' in Arizona national park
At first glance, it might seem like a sighting of the one-horned myth during last month's full Moon at Petrified Forest National Park. However, park officials had a more plausible explanation.
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PETRIFIED FOREST, Ariz. – Wildlife officials report daily natural occurrences in national parks across the U.S., but none seem as magical as this.
At first glance, it might seem like a sighting of the one-horned myth during last month's full Moon at Petrified Forest National Park. However, park officials said it was a young male elk caught on one of the park’s game cameras.
"The full moon brings out the park’s unicorns," park officials joked in a Facebook post on Wednesday with photos of the look-alike creature.
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A creature resembling a "unicorn" was spotted on a game camera at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona during a full moon.
(Petrified Forest National Park)
The first set of antlers that yearling male elk grow are single beams with typically no forks or tines, park officials said.
"These young males are commonly referred to as ‘spikes,'" they added.
The shedding of antlers typically occurs in late winter or early spring. However, antler loss can also be caused by sparring, poor nutrition, or disease and injuries that affect testosterone levels.
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A creature resembling a "unicorn" was spotted on a game camera at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona during a full moon.
(Petrified Forest National Park)
"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," park officials joked.
Petrified Forest National Park is best known for its Triassic fossils.
"It's like having two parks in one, an ecosystem over 200 million years old with plants and animals now represented in the surreal landscape of the Painted Desert," the park notes on its website. "There is also a living park with its own denizens adapted to a demanding environment."