Yellowstone Wildlife

Even bears like to play?? We watched for quite a while as one chased the other up this tree.

Mountain goats and bighorn sheep live in the hills along the route we drive to work.

One must always allow extra time when driving in the park as some travelers insist in walking at their own pace.
Bear spray sales are brisk since the grizzly attack in early July. One occasionally runs across sights that remind you that you are not top of the food chain here.
Ursus americanus or the American Black Bear. This big guy was on the other side of the lake from where we were standing. I love long lenses!

Pronghorn antelope are frequently seen around the Mammoth area. A few weeks ago we watched one walk down the trail on the other side of the Yellowstone River behind our RV park.

There are thousands of bison roaming free in Yellowstone. Although they look gentle, they cause more injuries in the park than any other animal. Reaching speeds up to 35 mph they can quickly outrun a human.
It is hard to sneak up on a mule deer as their hearing is much better than my sneaking.
Elk are frequent guests of Mammoth Hot Springs. This bull is resting on the lawn where they love to eat the grass and clover. The rangers are vigilant to ensure tourists don't get too close.

Ground squirrels are fun to watch as they scurry around.

You have to look close to see both the wolf and grizzly bear (click on the image to see a bigger picture). This grizzly is guarding an elk carcass and the opportunistic wolf is challenging it for dinner. The wolf waits until it thinks the bear is asleep (laying on the carcass) and cautiously sneaks up to grab a piece of meat. The grizzly would vigorously defend its kill. The wolf finally left without success. I understand this drama went on for several days until the food was gone. The ravens on the ledge would swoop down and grab bits of meat whenever the grizzly got up to chase the wolf away.

Another grizzly - I was far away and using a very long lens. Notice that this one is brown while the one above is more black. You cannot tell the type of bear by its color. The grizzly is much more muscular and has the large hump on its shoulder.

Not quite as ferocious, this yellow bellied marmot basks in the sun and did not seem to care that I approached to take its picture. It watched me attentively but did not even raise its head.

Ospreys are great fish-hunters and though it made several diving attempts this one caught nothing while I watched.

Female big horn sheep along the Gardiner River.

A black bear and her cubs. This is a very dangerous situation as a mother bear will instinctively attack anything it feels may harm her babies. This was shot from the roadside and the bear and cubs were probably 200-300 yards away.

Three young osprey in their nest which is located on a tall spire near the lookout for Upper Yosemite Falls.

A nice 6-point elk still in velvet. These guys will start building their harems in about a month, at which time they become very aggressive and dangerous.
Like all of us, bison do not like the flies. They create these dust pits throughout the park where they roll around to discourage the pests.

This is just a small sampling of the wildlife. To see more, you'll have to come visit us!