According to the National Park Service there are "nearly 300 species of birds, 16 species of fish, five species of amphibians, six species of reptiles, and 67 species of mammals—including seven native ungulate species and two bear species." Now that's a LOT of wildlife. Since we were full time workamping our time in the park was limited but we did our absolute best to get out and see as much of this wildlife as we possibly could.
A few of our favorite spots for wildlife viewing were Hayden Valley, Lamar Valley and Mammoth Hot Springs. Hayden Valley is tucked just a few miles south of where we were staying and was our most visited location and is a prime location for viewing buffalo, elk, the occasional bear and if you're lucky enough a wolf or two. Lamar Valley is in the northeastern part of the park and makes Hayden Valley look mild when comparing the numbers of buffalo (There were literally hundreds of American Buffalo in Lamar Valley everytime we went. Mammoth Hot Springs is elk heaven where one can often see a dozen or more elk literally walking through and laying around the small village.
Here are some of the animals that we got to see while we were at Yellowstone National Park:
The Black Bear
Weighing up to 240 pounds and standing up to 4.5 feet. These bears are great at climbing trees.
The Coyote
Small, compact and built to scavenge.
Deer
Cute and cuddly pre venison.
Elk
Big and badass, campsite invaders that can make or break your day.
We're going out to the rails on a crazy ELK train!
The Moose
HUGE and elusive, we were lucky enough to see one of these incredible beasts during our time in the park. Unfortunately, we did not get to see any flying squirrels.
The Grizzly Bear
Built for tearing into things and ripping your face off.
Look closely.
This one is a little more obvious.
Dramatic video of this grizzly being curious like a cat...
The Raven
Dark and foreboding and they look really funny running (that's right, running) across the street.
The Great Grey Owl
Wise and wide-eyed these owls are the largest of the species. We were lucky enough to see this one just a few days before our last day in the park.
And now for the pièce de résistance, the animal that over the course of the summer became my favorite animal of all time. The magnificent, the beautiful, the powerful...
The American Buffalo
I really did fall in love with these beasts and I can't even explain exactly why.
They go where they want to go...
They stand where they want to stand...
Including traffic control...
They love their families...
They make unlikely friendships...
They can swim, WHAT?...
And, they look fucking magnificently badass standing on top of hills...
Or, just standing in a field...
Not to mention, they make any sunset look that much more grand!
I will miss many things about Yellowstone National Park but none so much as The American Buffalo.
In parting I'd like to share a bonus animal for your viewing pleasure, may I introduce to you the one, the only...
The American Dumb-Shit
Although it's hard to tell from this photo, there are two very large outcroppings and the one this guy is climbing down is easily 300 feet to the bottom. A fall would have taken him very quickly to the bottom of the canyon with a few bounces off of some very jagged rocks. I'm not quite sure if I admired him for his climbing skills or pitied him for an adventurous fool. Caught somewhere between rooting for him to make it to the bottom safely or hoping he would fall so I could catch it on camera I stood and watched him for a good 10 minutes (he made it down about 25 feet) before going about my day. We assume he made it safely to terra firma.
The wildlife in Yellowstone is incredibly diverse and so entertaining to watch. If you've never been here be sure to add it to your bucket list.
Keep checking back for more tales and photos from our adventure.
You can also keep tab on our adventures on YouTube - Trippin With The Brehenys.
Keep checking back to see if I ever learn how to take and edit better photos, edit videos and create higher quality content. Meh, who knows!