#717 Exploring Yellowstone - the wildlife

When the snow flies in Yellowstone, animals outnumber people.

By far, we've seen more American bison (the US national mammal) than any other animal.  We've seen them at our cabin, on the roads, and grazing on the Gardiner High School football field.  Because the bison population is growing and the national park land is not, much consideration is given on how best to manage the size of the herd.

We haven't seen as many of the Yellowstone Elk but they are the most plentiful hoofed mammal in the park with 10,000 to 20,000 living within park boundaries during the summer. 

We've also seen many of the park's 450 antelope-like American pronghorn  during our daily commutes to Gardiner.

Of the 163 bighorn sheep known to be living inside the park, we are lucky to spot this band of six grazing near the Yellowstone River in the north.

There are less than a hundred wolves living in the park, so we are excited to see this one...

and to see several of his ancestors within the Yellowstone museum collections.  

As you may expect in mid-March, the resident bear population including about 150 grizzlies is not yet awake so we admire these bear statues outside the post office at Mammoth Hot Springs...

and the stuffed mama bear and cub in the Yellowstone museum collections on the bottom shelf (next to the siren).

You can be sure I'm definitely keeping my eye on Kelly just in case.     

We haven't seen a single dinosaur in Yellowstone yet, but they are plentiful over in Bozeman at the Museum of the Rockies.

Over four million humans visit Yellowstone each year, but fewer than 20,000 will brave the month of March this year.  We love being outnumbered.
 
Yours in enjoying the wildlife,
Mary Jo