Yellowstone National Park, five years ago this month, shared a striking image captured at sunrise, showing the moon setting behind a barren slope, informing Facebook followers that they’d earn “bonus points” if they could spot the elk.
Can you spot the elk in the accompanying image? (Answer below.)
The image was captured in late October, when as many as 20,000 elk inhabit the park, before the winter migration.
Can you spot the elk in this autumn sunrise image? Photo: Yellowstone National Park
The time frame coincides with the end of the rut, or mating season, which occurs primarily in the park’s northern range.
For some who posted in the comments section, locating the elk appeared to have been easy, while at least one person claimed success only after increasing the image size.
“Found the elk, but do you give bonus points if I had to blow it up to find it?” the follower joked.
The image was captured at Mammoth Hot Springs in the northwestern portion of the park.
The moon is setting behind Sepulcher Mountain (9,642 feet) between Electric Peak (10,969 feet) and Mammoth Hot Springs, a famous elk gathering spot.
If you haven’t already located the elk, the answer is provided in the image posted below.
Lone elk shown below mountain ridge at sunrise. Photo: Yellowstone National Park
