-
The wolverine is an elusive and fascinating animal you may never see.
Duration: 3 minute 31 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Presented by Park Ranger Kelli English
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
The wolverine is an elusive and fascinating animal you may never see. Researchers are just beginning to understand these rare carnivores. Here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, biologists are working hard gathering data that will help identify the habitat and spatial requirements of these beautiful mammals.
This study is called the Absaroka-Beartooth Wolverine Project. It is a joint effort between the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The Wildlife Conservation Society is also conducting a successful study on the west side of the ecosystem in the Gravelly Mountains of Montana and the Teton Range in Wyoming.
One of the crucial elements of the Absaroka-Beartooth study was the construction of 27 log box-traps in prime wolverine habitat in 2005. During that first year, 2 males were captured. After being fitted with VHF transmitters and GPS collars, both were released back into the wild.
Wolverine necks are nearly as large as their heads and that made it difficult to fit collars on them. Wolverines stand about 15 inches at the shoulder and are around 38 inches long, tail included. Males can weigh over 30 pounds, while females weigh about 20 pounds.
M1, the first male captured, traveled 282 miles in 26 days, before casting off his GPS collar. M2, the second male captured, traveled 40 miles and exited the eastern boundary of Yellowstone within two weeks of his release.
Global climate change is a significant threat to wolverines. Widespread snowpack at high elevations during late spring is believed to provide a protective environment for females and young. That same snow also helps them with thermal regulation during late spring and summer months.
Some climate models predict that spring snowpack needed by wolverines will be limited to the highest elevations of Colorado, the Sierra Nevada Range, and portions of the Yellowstone ecosystem by 2050. Wolverines occur at low density and have a very slow reproductive rate. All these factors, as well as habitat fragmentation, increase the likelihood of their extinction.
The constant movement over an individual’s home range, which can be as much as 650 square miles, is only one of the difficulties associated with the study of wolverines. Their use of remote sub-alpine zones and rocky talus slopes makes tracking and monitoring them very challenging.
Today, scientists believe there may only be 250 to 300 wolverines living in the continental U.S., with most of those located in the northern Rockies. The Wolverine Project will help wildland managers establish conservation measures to further protect one of nature’s most rare and sensitive species.
-
Can you look at animal tracks and see the past?
Duration: 2 minute 20 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
There’s something special about venturing into Yellowstone on a cold or snowy day. Nature seems to be at its best during these long winter months. For the park’s wildlife, every move is calculated; wasted energy this time of year can be the difference between surviving and not surviving.
As visitors, humans get the chance to study how certain animals move across the landscape. We get to read the tracks left in the snowpack as a way of learning the areas past, or at least what has occurred since the last storm.
Identifying tracks can be a great way for a family to spend a day in the park. Whether you are exploring from a car on one of the park’s plowed roads or from skis along a trail, take some time to recreate what the animal tracks are telling you.
Some mammals like bison, follow each other across large open meadows. The long trenches they make, wind through the snow in a meander, which makes the traveling easier for the bison toward the rear. Bison use their heads to “shovel” snow away from the dried grasses below, and you can see where they have fed or rested.
You may identify areas where more than one species have had an interaction. It could be where wolves have tested large mammals like bison, or where a coyote has pounced through the snow while hunting rodents. It could be just a wing imprint left behind by some predatory bird.
Do some investigating. Find out at a visitor center when the last snow fall occurred and how cold it has been. Look at some animal prints closely to estimate how long ago they were left; newer prints tend to be crisp, while older prints become rounded on the edges.
One local animal tracker believes that tracks are only a piece of the story. Try to go beyond the tracks themselves. Look at the geography of an area to see if you can guess what animals were doing when they came through.
These bison tracks here are heading in that direction. By looking at the flow of the river, we can see they were headed down stream and maybe to lower elevations.
By spending a day studying animal tracks, you can develop a deeper understanding of nature. In the long run, the more we understand wilderness, the more likely we are to protect places like Yellowstone National Park.
-
Take a closer look at how some animals survive Yellowstone's harsh winters.
Duration: 2 minute 23 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
The way Yellowstone’s wildlife prepares for and responds to winter provides some amazing opportunities to study animal adaptations. Some species migrate to lower elevations or latitudes. Some species are able to stay here due to adaptations. A subset of those, hibernate for the winter, and hibernation is one of the most fascinating adaptations in nature.
Marmots, ground squirrels and some mice here in Yellowstone begin preparing for winter almost as soon as summer begins. A stash of nuts, roots, seeds and other plants will be needed, along with a good layer of fat, just to survive the winter. These animals are considered “deep hibernators.”
When “deep hibernators” den, they quickly fall into a dormant state; their heart rate drops to just a few beats per minute and their body temperature can drop to below 40 degrees F. While they are not easily disturbed, they do wake-up from time to time. During these active periods, deep hibernators eat, drink, urinate and defecate, before returning to a dormant state.
Hibernation is different for Yellowstone’s bear population. By August, they are in an overeating phase called hyperphagia. During this time, bears consume as much as 20,000 calories a day until they enter their den, usually by mid-November.
There is a black bear den I’ve been watching in the woods near here. A bear will take weeks to drop into a deep slumber, but an undisturbed bear can remain that way for months. A bears’s heart rate drops like other hibernators, but their body temperature only drops a few degrees.
This small drop in temperature enables bears to respond to disturbances quickly. Bears never eat, drink, urinate or defecate while denning. All nutrients come from their fat layer. These differences have led many to say bears are not “true hibernators,” which is not true. I have also heard biologists call them “super hibernators,” because of their efficiency.
Scientists have identified an opiate like substance in hibernators that could revolutionize human organ transplants. It is the connections between science, nature and our health as a species that make protecting wild places like Yellowstone so important.
-
Yellowstone's wildlife prepares for the long winter season in many ways.
Duration: 2 minute 11 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
Winter in Yellowstone last a long time. But in spring, snow-free patches of ground attract many of the park’s wildlife species. Some animals look as if they have narrowly made it through the winter, while others look healthy with their thick coats.
All the animals here have adapted in one way or another in order to survive one of the harshest climates in the country. Yellowstone’s bears hibernate through much of the winter and we discuss that in a separate video. Many species find that migration is the best way to survive a long winter.
Most people first think of birds when migration is mentioned. That is due to the great distances birds can travel. For example, Yellowstone’s population of American White Pelicans winter in the coastal lowlands of Mexico and return to this area in April.
Migration can also mean moving regionally to the lower elevations of the valleys that are found in and around the park. Elk, bison, and other ungulates follow historic migration patterns to escape the deep snow and to reach wintering grounds.
Other members of those same species migrate locally to escape the snow. Some of those animals move to the geyser basins and take advantage of the heat and the open ground. Every spring, old and sick animals die in the thermal areas. This often provides nutrients for emerging bears and a host of other animals.
Some of the common winter adaptations start to become noticeable in spring. The thick winter coat that protected the elk and the bison through the cold begins molting and then falls off as the weather gets warmer. Animals like the snowshoe hare begin to turn from their winter white to the darker grayish-brown of summer.
Adaptations and migrations require an incredible amount of energy. While the park supplies some of that energy, often areas found hundreds of miles away help sustain Yellowstone’s wild species. In turn, by protecting Yellowstone, we are helping those areas maintain healthy and diverse animal populations.
-
Yellowstone's cool climate and abundance of water, creates some perfect fish habitat.
Duration: 2 minute 11 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
The amount of snow that falls in Yellowstone during these cold months can help determine how healthy the Yellowstone fisheries will be over the next year. I like to look at an abundant snowpack as if it were a refrigerator that is holding an important resource; a biological legacy that will establish the physical condition of the park’s fish population.
That legacy begins as a snowflake, but by spring it will supply a torrent of water that will reshape the park’s streams and rivers. Fast moving waterways push sediments and gravel to the edges of the riverbeds and that helps create point-bars and cut-banks; both important habitats for fish.
The habitat at any given point in a stream is a result of all biotic and abiotic materials found upstream. Those materials are averaged across the stream every time a new tributary flows into the main channel. I once had a fish biologist tell me that, “you never step into the same stream twice.”
As chemicals and minerals move downstream with the spring runoff, spawning fish face the current and attempt to smell the place of their birth. A fish’s ability to sense where its life began, so that it can begin a new reproductive cycle, is an amazing process.
Yellowstone National Park has 11 native fish species and 5 non-native species. The park’s high-mountain geography helps to create the perfect cold water habitat that our fish need. Cold water holds more oxygen than warmer water and can inhibit the spread of some diseases like whirling disease.
Due to drought and thermal run-off, there may be periods in summer where the temperature in the park’s rivers become to warm for trout. If possible, fish move into cooler tributaries during these times.
Yellowstone remains one of the most significant, near-pristine aquatic ecosystems in the United States. With some 2,463 miles of running water and 630 lakes and ponds, all life here relies on a good winter snowpack and it all begins with a single snowflake.
-
You will need to dress warmly, but the wildlife viewing is spectacular.
2 minute 10 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
Today, Yellowstone National Park is as famous for wildlife as it is for its spectacular geology. In winter, there are plenty of opportunities to see a wide range of animals. You just need to look in the right places.
For birders, there are 42 species that live in the park year around and at least 7 species that migrate to the region in winter. For many birds, open-water is needed to survive. Thermal runoff from the geyser basins help keep many stretches of water ice-free.
These open stretches of water attract waterfowl, like trumpeter swans, that are migrating south from their nesting grounds in Canada and Alaska. There are more swans here in winter than in summer. Bald eagles, many of which spend the summer on lakes, can also be found near the open water of rivers.
Away from the rivers, the best birding is at the lower elevations found in the northern sections of the park. In areas like Lamar valley, ravens, magpies, eagles and other scavengers can be seen on winter-kill and predator-killed carcasses.
For much of the winter, Lamar Valley is the best place to see many species of wildlife. Yellowstone’s wolf population is more concentrated in the park’s northern range. Lamar just many be the best place on earth to watch wolves in a natural setting.
If that is something that interests you, get out at sunrise or sunset; wolves are more active then. Watch for groups of people with spotting-scopes. There is quite a contingency of wolf watchers. Find them and more than likely you will find wolves.
Wolves are more abundant in the north because of the high density of large mammals. Elk, deer, bison, pronghorn and coyotes can be found in the open meadows. Away from Lamar Valley, the Madison and the Firehole River basins are the best wildlife habitats in winter.
If you are a wildlife lover, a trip to Yellowstone in winter can surely meet your expectations. Always keep a safe distance from wild animals; dress warm, get out early and have the trip of a lifetime.
-
Researchers brave extreme conditions to understand how wolves are impacting Yellowstone..
Duration: 2 minute 33 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
Ecologically, the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park is one of the most important acts of wildlife conservation ever attempted. Wolves had been absent from the park since 1926. In 1995 and 1996, 31 gray wolves were captured in Canada by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and released in Yellowstone. Some of those first wolves were kept in a pen over this hill, so that they could acclimate to the area.
Reestablishing wolves provided an amazing opportunity to research the affects they would have on the ecosystem. Within Yellowstone, that research is conducted by the Yellowstone Wolf Project.
While the biologist that work on the wolf project gather data throughout the year, the real research is conducted in winter. Wolves are together, living in packs in winter and are preparing for denning by early spring.
One objective is to maintain collared wolves in each of Yellowstone’s wolf packs. To counter collar loss, more than one wolf needs to be collared in each pack. All collaring is done in winter; wolves are less likely to overheat and the snow slows them down, making darting easier.
Twice each winter, the Wolf Project conducts extensive thirty-day studies. An early winter study and a late winter study. The biologist from The Wolf Project and a group of volunteers monitor three wolf packs from the ground and the park’s remaining packs from fixed-wing airplanes. Ground crews battle severe conditions from sun-up to sun-down to ensure their data is accurate.
These researchers monitor population dispersal, distribution, reproduction, mortality and predation on ungulates. All wolf kills that are identified by the ground crews are visited. This involves skiing or snowshoeing for miles in all types of terrain and conditions. Necropsies are done to gather a wide variety of data. For more detailed information on wolf research, visit our website at www.nps.gov/yell.
One of the most important aspects of this research effort is its longevity. 80% of all wildlife research is conducted for less than three years. If we isolated any three years from Yellowstone’s data, we would have different findings. It will take many more years before we fully understand the impacts wolves are having on this unique and wonderful place.
-
Follow Yellowstone's most abundant large mammal through the seasons.
Duration: 2 minute 15 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
When we think of wildlife, it is the bears that are the most famous, but Elk are the most abundant large mammal in Yellowstone. The park is home to as many as 20,000 elk in the summer.
The Yellowstone elk herd is really of collection of eight smaller herds. Only one herd, the Firehole-Madison herd, spends the entire year in the park. Most herds migrate back and forth across the park boundaries.
In spring, elk appear ragged. They seem thin after the long winter. They also are molting, or shedding their winter coat. As the winter coat disappears, their coat shines with a reddish/golden tinge.
By late May or early June, cow elk begin to give birth to spotted calves that weigh about 30 lbs. Elk calves have little to no scent, which helps them hide from the park’s multitude of predators. The 500 lb. cow’s bed the calves in tall grasses and then graze a short distance away.
After about ten days or so, the calves are strong and fast enough to join the herd that is made up of cows, calves and young bulls, called spikes. Spike antlers usually only have one point or tine.
The fall in the park is remarkable. Yellowstone’s grasses turn a beautiful yellowish gold. Steam from the thermal areas covers the meadows with mystery. If you are patient, you get to hear one of nature’s grandest songs, the bugle of bull elk. It starts as a high pitched moan only to increase into a loud series of short grunts.
Bull elk bugle to attract cows and claim their dominance over smaller and less powerful rivals. Often large bulls, that can weigh 700lbs or more, do battle for a group of cows called a harem. These bulls sport antlers that are six feet wide and have six to eight tines on each side.
Mammoth Hot Springs is always a hot bed of activity in the fall. Stay alert, keep a safe distance and always give yourself an out. And don’t forget your camera!
-
You will never forget the first time you see a bison in the wild. They seem to conjure up some deep rooted emotions from our past.
Duration: 2 minute 11 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
You will never forget the first time you see a bison in the wild. They seem to conjure-up some deep rooted emotions from our past. It may be just one lonely bull walking through the fog early one morning. It also could be a few hundred cows and calves stretching out as far as the eye can see. However your first encounter plays out, it will remain a part of you. Bison have always had that magic.
Taking time to slow down and watch these magnificent creatures could be the highlight of your next trip to Yellowstone. Remember they are fast. They can run thirty miles per hour. Watch from a safe distance.
Bison are well adapted for Yellowstone’s harsh winters. Their large heads are used as a shovel. They sweep away the snow to reach dried grasses below. In deep snow, bison break trail for each other and follow in a straight line to save energy.
Adult bull bison spend most of the year alone or in small groups. Cow bison live in herds that include calves and young bulls. The mature bulls join those herds in late summer for the mating season. During this rut, bulls engage in ritual battle for the right to mate with a female. Calves are born nine months later, usually in April or May.
Bison are social creatures. The reddish colored calves often gather in small play groups where they learn the social ins and outs of bison life. When crossing a river, adults cross downstream from the calves to ensure that the current doesn’t wash the young ones away.
I once watched a pack of wolves attempting to take down a lone bull bison. Out of nowhere, four or five other bulls came running up in a line, and ran the wolves away. Wildlife researcher, Mary Meagher noticed that, “bison are always on the move.” Stay alert and if they move toward you back away. It is illegal to be closer than 25 yards to a bison, elk or any other ungulate.
-
While people for a chance to see some of the park's large mammals, one of the most impressive species here is a bird that could fit in the palm or your hand.
Duration: 2 minute 42 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Presented by Park Ranger Kelli English
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
We all know Yellowstone National Park is home to bears and wolves. While people seem to travel here from every corner of the planet for a chance to see some of the park's large mammals, one of the most impressive species here is a bird that fits in the palm of your hand.
The American Dipper, similar to the water ouzel found in Britain, can easily be seen during almost any season. The park includes nearly 1000 rivers and streams that make up approximately 2500 miles of running water. Many miles of those streams continue to run free in winter due to thermal runoff from the park's nearly 10,000 thermal features.
The habitat created is perfect for dippers. These slate gray birds have short tails and can be found along fast-moving sections of water. They are usually perched on rocks or logs, dipping and diving into the current. It is this dipping action that gives these little birds their name.
The American Dipper, which can be found throughout the American west, is considered North America's only true aquatic song bird. Their beautiful song can often be heard over the rush of running water. While males and females look alike, the male is usually a little larger.
Dippers feed entirely under water. They dip and dive into the current, so they can feed on aquatic insects along the bottom. They actually can walk on stream beds by gripping rocks along the base of the current.
Population levels vary from year to year and are believed to depend on the availability of good nesting sites. Nests are dome-like structures consisting of mosses and grass. They are built under rock ledges and overhangs, close to good feeding habitat.
In Yellowstone, the easiest places to see dippers are along the Firehole River, especially in the Firehole River Canyon, and along the Gardner River, just north of Mammoth Hot Springs. Watch for them flying just above the water surface as they look for their next feeding spot.
The American Dipper is at home in cold habitats. They have a large preen, or oil gland, that helps to keep their feathers waterproof. The next time you are in Yellowstone, or along any fast-moving western stream, take a few moments to enjoy one of nature’s coolest little birds.
-
Learning what foods are available at certain times of the year can help you avoid confrontations.
Duration: 2 minute 23 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Written & Presented by Park Ranger George Heinz
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
You walk around a bend on one of Yellowstone’s trails and all at once there’s a bear. Would you know what to do?
Bear safety starts before you get on the trail. Start at the nearest backcountry office or visitor center. Ask about bear closures and recent sightings. Take the time to learn a little bear ecology. Learning what foods are available at certain times of the year can help you avoid confrontations.
Hike with others, and talk or clap your hands while walking. Consider carrying Bear Pepper Spray. It should contain between 1% and 2% capsaicin. Each hiker should carry their own canister.
So you have done your homework and you are prepared, and still, there is this bear. If the bear has not seen you, try backing up slowly and quietly. If that works, leave the area and reroute your trip.
If the bear has seen you, the proper response depends on what the bear does next. Slowly walk backwards while talking to the bear in a non-aggressive voice. Most likely the bear will run away, but not always. Never run from a bear.
If the bear charges you, stop retreating and hold your ground. Most charges are bluff charges. Remove the safety from your bear spray and if the bear gets within 40 feet of you spray it in the face.
Never play dead until a bear has made contact with you. If that happens, lay on your stomach with your hands clasped over your neck. Keep your backpacks on. Your legs should be slightly spread, so that it’s harder to flip you over. Remain as quiet and still as you can, until the bear leaves. Then find help.
Remember that climbing trees does not always work in Yellowstone. The park has both black bears and grizzly bears. Black bears are great tree climbers and grizzlies have been known to follow people quite far up a tree.
In reality, your chances of being injured by a bear in Yellowstone are 1 in 1.9 million. Yellowstone is a wilderness and wildernesses have rules that we can learn to follow. “Hey bear, Hey bear.”(Walking away while clapping).
-
Visitors traveling to and from the West Entrance are rewarded with some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.
Duration: 2 minute 36 seconds
- Credit / Author:
- Presented by Park Ranger Kelli English
- Date created:
- 2007-04-27
Some of my greatest memories of Yellowstone are of the winter days I spent watching birds along the Madison and Firehole Rivers. The abundance of thermal features located near these pristine watersheds heats the water enough to keep much of it ice free. Visitors traveling to and from the West Entrance are rewarded with some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.
Trumpeter swans, which are difficult to find in summer, seem abundant. The white adults that often mate for life, winter here with their gray cygnets, the juveniles. Numerous swans feed along these rivers before migrating out of the park in spring.
In winter, the Common Goldeneye out-numbers the Barrow’s Goldeneye, but both can be found here. Both species have brilliant eyes. The easiest way to distinguish between the two is to look at the spot near the base of the male’s bill. Common Goldeneyes have a round spot, while the Barrow’s is crescent shaped.
When you’re along the faster moving sections of river, keep an eye out for American Dippers. These small song birds can be seen dipping and diving into the open water. Above the rivers, you can see Bald Eagles perched in trees. Bald Eagles dive for fish and prey on water fowl. In winter, I find it easier to watch for dark patches high in the trees. The dark seems to stick out more against the snowy landscape.
Yellowstone’s forest offers some great birding as well. Recently burnt sections are a good place to watch for Hairy Woodpeckers. They quickly move through the trees in search of insects that have burrowed under tree bark.
Ravens can be seen near many of the park’s roads and parking lots begging or searching for a free meal. Never leave food or backpacks unattended. These smart critters have learned to search for human food.
Overall, researchers believe nearly 50 different species of birds can be found in Yellowstone during winter. Please, while feeding birds at home may be normal, it is unacceptable in the park. All wildlife species are protected here. Dress warmly, bring your binoculars and I hope to see you on your next Yellowstone adventure.
|
