Last week, my family and I travelled to Yellowstone National Park for a week. We went around sight-seeing, and saw lots of wild life, hot springs, geysers and some beautiful mountains. Yellowstone is filled with beautiful wildlife that can be easily spotted all over the park. Sometimes animals can come very close to your vehicles and some may even block traffic for a while. These animals are definitely worth looking for and observing.
1. Grizzly Bears
Male grizzly bears can grow up to 6.5 feet and height and weigh up to 600 pounds, while the females only weigh up to 440 pounds. Needless to say, these creatures are very large, much larger than humans so it's important to keep you distance from them. Usually, bears are spotted in the early morning or late evenings when they are looking for food. You can often spot them near rivers trying to catch fish. Their diet also consists of leaves, berries, deer, and elk.
2. Wolves
Wolves are definitely a rare find, but if you are fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of one, definitely keep your distance. A male wolf weighs up to about 180 pounds while the females only weigh up to 120 pounds. Wolves travel in packs and can be aggressive, although nobody has ever been attacked by a wolf in Yellowstone. Wolves are incredibly intelligent creatures and they work together to catch their food. They mostly feed on larger animals such as moose, elk, deer, or bison.
3. Moose
Moose are more easily spotted around the park. These large animals are a part of the deer family and can live up to 20 years in Yellowstone, which is a very long time for these types of animals. Moose can be seen by themselves or in packs. They can be spotted pretty much anywhere around Yellowstone especially in grassy fields or by rivers. Their diet is very simple, it's made up mostly of leaves, grass, bushes, and aquatic plants.
4. Elk
Elk are very much like your average deer, they just are a little bit bigger. I found that the elk were very trusting around humans. They allowed us to get decently close to them and take pictures of them. Although you should always remain a decent distance away from any animal, because you never know what could happen. Elk are tamer compared to other animals in the park. These elegant creatures can be spotted anywhere and everywhere. By the time you leave Yellowstone, you will have seen 100's if not 1000's of them. They usually eat tall grass, plants, berries, and bushes.
5. Bison
Bison are huge animals that weigh around 1400 pounds. Around mid-July, the bison begin to mate. You might notice that there will be 100's of bison in a field, but the male bison never leaves his female's side. In the months of July and August, bison are usually full of testosterone causing them to be sometimes aggressive. Bison are the number one cause of traffic jams in Yellowstone National Park. They will often stand directly in front of your car and sometimes won't move for hours! They usually are very tame except during their mating season. Outside of their mating season you usually only see them lying down in fields and possibly rolling around in dirt to get bugs off them. In their mating season, bison become aggressive and will often butt heads and fight with each other. Although bison may come across as lazy, they can run up to 30 mph! So, it's best to keep your distance from them.
