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Critters You Might See |
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Large herds of Bison roam all over Yellowstone Park!
We saw this old Bison (NOT
"Buffalo") relaxing in front of the Lake
Hotel, which is the oldest hotel in Yellowstone Park. There are between
five and seven thousand Bison in the park and it is more common to see
them in herds. You can count yourself lucky if they don't block the
road at least once during your visit! Try a "Buffalo" Steak at one of
the local restaurants, it's half as fat as beef and twice as tasty!
Pronghorn Antelope can
sometimes be seen in one of the meadows along
the Old Gardiner Road. This is a one-lane dirt road that runs from
Mammoth Hot Springs to the North Entrance, and it is not open all the
time, but it is a good scenic drive if you have a truck or a 4-wheel
drive vehicle.
There is a marauding band of
young Big Horn Sheep in the Dunraven Pass
area that haven't grown into their horns.
These guys love to walk down the center of the road, look into car windows, and generally "play in traffic". We can almost hear this one saying, "I think I'll go down and play with the tourists!"
This adult Big Horn Sheep with
the huge curling horns for which they
are famous, was spotted along the Gardiner River just inside the North
Entrance to the park.
Seeing this Moose made one of
our guests very happy. These animals are
reclusive and normally stay out of sight. Many people spend lots of
time in Yellowstone Park and never get to see
a Moose with her calf. What a great shot!
Keep a sharp lookout for
Mountain Goats as you drive between the North
Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs on your daily trip to Yellowstone from
the RV Park. This is a protected management area for the Goats and the
Big Horn Sheep and you may spot one in the hills along the road.
You could see some White Tail
Deer near or even IN the RV Park. One of the guests saw this doe with
her twins just across the river and
we believe this was her mate up in the brush. Even though they are
captivating gentle animals they can also be quite
dangerous, especially since they seem to revel in darting across the
highway from dusk until dawn when they are especially hard to see!
The sight of a magnificent bull
Elk like this one is not uncommon,
especially in the fall when they gather in the Mammoth Hot Springs area
during rutting season. You can sometimes hear the sound that the
antlers make when the males engage in combat while rounding up their
harems. These animals shed their antlers each year, so if you are here
in the spring, you will see them with smaller antlers still covered in
"velvet."
We could hardly believe it when
we saw this herd of Elk enjoying the
warmth of one of the hot springs in Mammoth early in the morning.
You're not allowed to walk on the thermal features (nor is it safe to
do so!), but we guess nobody told the elk.
Chipmunks are everywhere! Check
out the Falls area in Fire Hole Canyon
if you want to see dozens of them scurrying around. They are quite
friendly, but please DON'T FEED THEM! They can become dependent on your
handouts during the summer and then they may starve in the winter when
you are no longer there to admire them.
This little Marmocet seemed as
intrigued by us as we were by him. These
little guys can sometimes be seen in the Tower Falls area.
Beavers are shy creatures so
more often than not you only see their
dams as evidence that they are around, but sometimes one will stick
it's head out for a leisurely swim on the surface.
Mama Black Bear was spotted
playing with her cub across the valley from
the Petrified Tree exhibit. We spent some time just watching this
Mother frolick with her cub
around this fallen tree among the wildflowers.
A few visitors are lucky enough
to catch a glimpse of the solitary (and
dangerous) Grizzly Bear in the wild. One spring we happened upon a Mama
Grizzly Bear with two cubs which had created a terrific traffic jam! My
camera has a good telephoto lens, so I was able to "safely" get this
picture from inside the car, but many people were out of their vehicles
running around with their cameras AND their children. Luckily nobody
was hurt, either by the traffic or the Mama bear! Grizzly Bears are
VERY dangerous animals so please don't risk your life trying to get
"just a little closer" for a "better picture". The bear will have to be
destroyed if it does attack someone.
You might spot a Bald Eagle
flying along the Yellowstone River,
surveying the territory from the top of a tree, or soaring on the
thermals in Yellowstone Park. If you are lucky enough to see one of
these majestic birds, it will be a sight that you will never forget!
Yes, there are Pelicans in the
Park, along with many species of duck,
geese and other birds. This is near the famous Fishing Bridge on Lake
Yellowstone, where fishing is no longer allowed since this area is one
of the main spawning beds for the trout. No wonder the fishing was so
good here!
One of our guests happened upon
this family of Swans near the Emigrant
bridge over the Yellowstone River...
just a few miles from the RV Park! |
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