Reader Joe Dickinson gives us some mammals today:
We are recently back from a tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks that emphasized wildlife viewing, particularly wolves. Here are some of my more successful shots.First, we visited the National Elk Refuge just outside of Jackson, Wyoming, which protects winter range for upwards of 5,000 elk (Cervus canadensis). The best way to visit is by horse-drawn sleigh or wagon (depending on snow conditions). The elk allow the wagons to approach much closer than they would tolerate people on foot. Most bulls had not yet dropped antlers when we were there.
In Yellowstone, bison (Bison bison) often hang out around the many hot springs and geysers, where the warmth reduces snow cover, making foraging easier. In the first shot, the steam is issuing from Old Faithful, which just finished erupting. Visitors are warned not to leave the walkways in the thermal areas, but the bison ignore this rule.
We had a particularly close encounter with a nice group of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis).
Finally, we were fortunate to see all three wild canids resident in the park. First, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). We saw, but did not manage to photograph, a remarkable feeding behavior. They listen for mice, voles, etc. moving about under the snow. After sitting very still, only moving the head and ears a bit to get a good triangulation on the sound, they leap about three feet in the air and come down nose first to penetrate the snow. The ones we watched came up with prey almost every try. [JAC: I am still amazed by this ability!]
Our closest look at a coyote (Caniis latrans) was on a cougar kill. The carcass was so near the road that the reclusive big cat did not stick around to guard her stash.
Finally, we saw over 30 wolves (Canis lupus) belonging to at least four packs. The sightings are at a greater distance than the other wildlife, but it was very exciting. One day we watched the largest pack in the park (16 members, all visible in one of the photos) for several hours as it moved some miles through the territories of two other packs. We saw no hostile encounters but heard them howling back and forth several times, and we were told that the number one cause of death among Yellowstone wolves is other wolves.
Wow, lucky you! Looks like a great trip, thanks for the photos!
Great pictures from a great place. Many people have trouble confusing Coyotes and Wolves, but the Wolf is quite larger and stands on longer legs. Also, if you are in Missouri or Iowa and think you saw wolves, you most likely saw coyotes.
Although two wolves just recently shot in Iowa and reported by the DNR. Presumably migrants from Minn or Wisc. No charges filed by authorities.
Great pics.
So sad I never had time to go Yellowstone when I was near it.
Great pics. A wonderful sight to see.
How thrilling! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us, Joe. I could feel the hackles go up on the back of my neck, even at the 2-D sight of those wolves.
An amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing.
Lucky you! Nice shots, thanks for sharing.
Wonderful adventure. Appreciate your great pictures and notes. I will never get to see sights like this firsthand so I enjoy what is shared at WEIT so much. G.
Me too.
Great set of pics, Joe! Really interesting about elk and those horse carts!
I had no idea wolf packs got as large as 16 members. If, even in a pack that size, it’s still only the alphas who reproduce, there are a whole lot of wolves who are SOL there.
I wonder if the bison have a sense of when the geysers are going to blow?