From mountain lions and bears to elk and gray wolves, here's what to know about Colorado's dangerous animals and how to safely admire them if encountered.

Mountain lions

Mountain lions, also referred to as pumas and panthers, typically weigh between 75-175 pounds, according to the National Park Service.

Much of Colorado, including the Front Range, is home to these powerful feline predators, also known as cougars and pumas. They are a crucial part of the state ecosystem, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Between 3,800 and 4,400 independent lions, not including kittens, are estimated to live in Colorado.

"Mountain lions are easily distinguished from other wild cat species in Colorado," CPW states on its website. "Lions are much larger than lynx or bobcats and have a long tail, which may measure one-third of their total length."

Male mountain lions mark their home range boundaries with "scrapes," or piles of dirt and twigs, to communicate their territory to other lions. If you see these telltale scrapes, avoid the area and make family and nearby neighbors aware of potential lions in the area.

While mountain lions are elusive and prefer to avoid human contact, if Coloradans see one while out for a hike, they are advised to take several steps to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of the lion, according to CPW. These steps include:

Never approach a feeding mountain lion or one with kittens
Give them an escape route
Speak calmly, move slowly, and avoid running
Raise your arms, open your jacket, and pick up small children or pets to make yourself appear larger
If a dog is with you, keep it on a 6-foot or shorter leash

Bears

American black bears call many parts of Southern Colorado home, including an area from Walsenburg to Trinidad, east of the San Luis Valley.

With the last known grizzly bear in Colorado killed in 1979, the black bear is the largest of Colorado's carnivores. Although called black bears, they can be honey-colored, blond, brown, cinnamon, or black, according to CPW.

Adult males weigh around 275 pounds, while females weigh about 175 pounds. Depending on the season, food supply and gender, black bears may weigh anywhere from 100 to 450 pounds.

Black bears measure about 3 feet tall when on all four feet and can be 5 feet tall when standing on their back legs.

While black bears generally eat berries, nuts, insects, small mammals, fish, and various plants, CPW warns that people who live or camp in bear country need to be sure they don’t teach bears to become “garbage” bears by carelessly handling food, scraps and garbage.

"Bears who find human food, even once, can change their habits to seek food from human residences and trash cans," CPW states on its website. CPW warns campers and hikers to double-bag food and never leave any trash or leftovers behind.

"If you're lucky enough to see a bear, watch from a safe distance and enjoy the special experience," CPW advises.

If the bear approaches, stand still, stay calm, let the bear identify you and leave, talk in a normal tone, and be sure the bear has a route to leave.

If the bear doesn't leave, wave your arms slowly overhead and talk calmly. Step off the trail to the downhill side, keep looking at the bear, and slowly back away until the bear is out of sight.

Elk and moose

A bull elk stands in a meadow near Poudre Lake along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park on Aug. 16, 2024. Early morning is an ideal time to visit this popular Colorado park to beat the heat and crowds.

About 280,000 wapiti, referred to in North America as elk, live in Colorado as of the mid-2020s, according to CPW. This makes Colorado's elk population the largest in the world.

Bull elk can weigh up to 900 pounds and are 5 feet tall and 8 feet long, while cows weigh 400-600 pounds, stand 4 ½ feet tall, and are an average of 6 ½ feet long. They range throughout mountainous parts of the state, foraging in meadows and alpine tundra. They sometimes move in herds of several hundred individuals.

Moose — confusingly referred to as elk outside of North America — are the second-largest land animal on the continent and Colorado's largest big game animal.

Two young moose spar in a Northern Colorado backyard.

Today, Colorado is home to more than 3,000 moose and boasts one of the fastest-growing populations in the lower 48 states. Colorado's Shiras moose, also known as the Yellowstone or Wyoming Moose, is the largest species of deer in Colorado. Bulls range up to 9 1½ feet long (of which only 4 inches is tail), 6 feet tall at the shoulder, and weigh over 1,000 pounds. The antlers of a bull moose in its prime can weigh up to 50 pounds and be up to 5 feet wide.

In Colorado, moose are most abundant in North Park and on the Grand Mesa, but have expanded their range to include most of the mountainous regions of Colorado, including along the Front Range, where moose can occasionally be found wandering as far east as Golden, Boulder, and Colorado Springs.

Both large deer species are grazers, but can be territorial, and can run up to 35 mph, according to CPW. It is advised that if you see one, admire it from a distance.

Gray wolves

Gray wolves historically inhabited most of Colorado, but were extirpated, or locally driven to extinction, by the mid-1940s in the Centennial State.

However, in 2023, CPW reintroduced 10 wolves to Grand and Summit counties as part of the implementation of voter-approved Proposition 114. In addition, CPW has had confirmed or probable wolf dispersals that occurred in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2015, and 2019-2021, according to the CPW website.

Most dispersal into Colorado is believed to have originated from the Greater Yellowstone Area, which is home to part of the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf population.

While wolves naturally feed on hooved mammals such as deer, moose, and elk, they are opportunistic hunters and may kill pets and other farm animals such as alpacas and chickens. As such, CPW advises that if you live in wolf country, bring your pets in at night and keep them close at all times of day, and place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night if possible.

As with other large predators, such as bears, do not approach wolves, especially one that is feeding or with pups, and avoid bringing dogs around them. Most wolves will try to avoid a confrontation. Make sure to give them a way to escape.

"Maintain visual contact with the wolf so you can see what it is doing and where it is. Talk calmly yet firmly to it and make enough eye contact so that it knows you have seen it. Most wolves will run away," CPW advises.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Five magnificent but deadly animals you may see on a hike in Colorado