Yellowstone Wildlife Profiles

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Yellowstone Wildlife Profiles

Yellowstone Wildlife Profiles Join us as we travel around the Yellowstone area, sharing the day-to-day lives of Yellowstone’s wild creatures through videos and stories.

Planning to visit the park? Message us to schedule a guided tour or presentation. Guided trips into Yellowstone National Park with experienced and knowledgable guides, in person and virtual wildlife presentations, wildlife videos, and a book about Yellowstone wolves are all available. Check out our website for more information.

21/01/2025

-31 degrees sure is beautiful! Today we also saw wolves, dippers, a golden eagle, pygmy-owl, as well as the usual suspects.

13/01/2025

Thirty years ago today, the first wolves of the reintroduction arrived in Yellowstone, headed for the Crystal Creek acclimation pen. Thirty years later, the Crystal Creek pack still roams Yellowstone - albeit under a different name. Do you know which pack originated as the Crystal Creek pack?

If you want to learn all about the reintroduction, the world-class research carried out in Yellowstone over the past 30 years, and the current status of Yellowstone wolves, join us in March for what is sure to be a wonderful experience!

We have just a few spots remaining in our 3-Day Wolves of Lamar Valley Expedition March 3-6. If you want to see and learn about wolves from naturalists who have been observing wolves in Yellowstone for years, you won't want to miss this opportunity!

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10/01/2025

This isn't just a beautiful winter landscape! Can you find the 5 bull moose (meese?) in this photo?

Common knowledge holds that moose are solitary animals, yet we often see bachelor herds in Yellowstone during the winter. Why? We don't know for sure, but Mark Elbroch and Kurt Rinehart's book Behavior of North American Mammals offers some insight:

"Most moose actively avoid one another as they roam about. In Alaska, however, moose are rather sociable and form groups...Their group sizes are larger in areas with less forest cover, suggesting that they group together as a defense against predators. In addition to predator defense, a common effect of grouping up is increased feeding efficiency because of shared vigilance among group members."

Yellowstone is at the heart of one of the most predator-rich ecosystems in North America, so perhaps there's something to this hypothesis. What do you think?

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06/01/2025

We have just a few spots remaining in our 3-Day Wolves of Lamar Valley Expedition March 3-6. If you want to see and learn about wolves from naturalists who have been observing wolves in Yellowstone for years, you won't want to miss this opportunity!

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05/01/2025

With the recent death of 907F, wolf 1090F of the Mollies pack is now (to my knowledge) the oldest wolf in the park. She was born into the Mollies pack in 2014, so she will turn 11 years old in April. Black at birth, 1090F is turning gray in her advanced age, a common pattern for wolves (and for people....). In this video, taken through our spotting scope on a recent tour, she is seen walking from right to left. She looks perhaps a bit stiff in the hind end, but otherwise seems healthy for her age.

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04/01/2025

A few highlights from a tour earlier this week: Wolves from the Mollies Pack, big bull moose, and a serene snowshoe hike along a babbling creek, where we explored old-growth mixed-conifer forests and observed American dippers.

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01/01/2025

I drove into the park the other day to reflect on old 907F's life. At Slough Creek, I walked out to Bob's K**b. There was nobody else there, aside from a thousand bison in the distance on the north side of the creek. No wind, not even a breath. The earth was profoundly silent. Gray clouds obscured the sun, but a bright spot betrayed where the late-afternoon sun was beginning to slip behind Specimen Ridge.

I sat on the cold ground. Sat and looked. Remembered. Remembered watching 907 as a pup, emerging from the den. All the drama that played out at Slough over the course of her life. Her puppies. Her sister killing and eating 907’s puppies. Her last litter emerging from the den this past spring.

I recalled a morning 10 years ago, watching the Junctions lounge and play under the Round Tree when 907 was only a yearling and when 870 and 890 were still alive.

I remembered other wolves whose lives have played out before us at Slough Creek: The Prospect Peak pack taking down the bison on the banks of the creek. The Lamars scavenging on a winter-killed bison in the Lion Meadow during one particularly difficult winter.

I remembered other wolves whose lives have ended in territorial battles around Slough Creek: 925. 777. 969. 970. And other wolves I have known and mourned: 926. 06. 949.

I looked up on Specimen Ridge and remembered days of desperately searching the skyline, hoping that wolves would appear there on the second or third wolf-less morning in a row, the joy and relief when the Junctions returned from a jaunt to Antelope Creek or the Mollies appeared from their home in Pelican Valley for another northern foray. Remembered 907 and her pack appearing next to us while we snowshoed Crystal, their howls reverberating through our hearts as they announced their return from a week’s sojourn to the south.

I remembered winter camping up Slough when the Junctions were a new pack, the month before 907 was conceived, and listening to the newly-named pack howl through a bitterly cold Yellowstone winter night, the voices of 907’s parents carrying the chorus.

[Image is my journal entry and sketches from 9/27/2014]

28/09/2024

(Sound on to hear bugling!) The elk rut is in full force in Mammoth, as bull #24 herds his harem of cows through the village.

The green, manicured lawns at Mammoth Village are comprised of Kentucky bluegrass that was planted when the Army was in residence. It was intended to reduce the dust around the parade grounds and throughout the dry village where wealthy visitors from the lush forests of the East often spent their first night in Yellowstone. Today, the grass is considered to be part of the Fort Yellowstone historical district, so it is irrigated and maintained - which also provides excellent elk forage at a time of year when most other grasses have dried up in preparation for winter.

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25/09/2024

September 25, 2014: Day 11 of our Yellowstone Lake Adventure

Route: 5H1 to Sedge Bay take-out
Quote of the Day: “Stick people don’t need life jackets because sticks float.” – explaining why the stick people in the journal drawings are never wearing PFDs.

“Not a cloud in the sky, and perfectly calm. We paddled the 4 miles out in just over an hour at a leisurely pace. After months of planning, dreaming, and preparing, we really made it! All the way around the big lake, from Grant to Sedge Bay, with many adventures (and some mis-adventures) along the way.”

The End.

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24/09/2024

September 24, 2014: Day 10 of Yellowstone Lake Trip

Route: 5E3 to 5H1
Quote of the Day: “Heading north / Heading home / Where the Northern Sun was born / And the North Wind [fills] my heart again / From the dreams we’ve kept so long / We’re heading north.” – Stormwarrior, “Heading Northe”

“Last night while we sat peacefully on the lakeshore, journaling and watching the stars, we had quite a fright. It was already pitch dark when the woods behind us exploded in growls, snarls, and grumbles! We both jumped up out of our Crazy Creeks (and anyone who has sat in a Crazy Creek knows what a feat that is!), instinctively backed up to the lake to protect our back sides, and pulled our bear sprays as we tried in vain to pierce the deep black fores, searching for whatever large animal lurked there.

“Was it a bear? Mountain lion? We’d never heard noises quite like that before, but we could tell for sure that it was something large and dangerous. We clicked our headlamps on and backed up farther until our feet were almost in the frigid water of the lake.

“Like a flash, two pine martens shot out of the woods, one hot on the furry heels of the other! Who knew such a small critter could make such a big noise? Relieved, we re-holstered our bear sprays and headed off to the tent.

“Today we saw four people again, the same four from previous days. The big lake is becoming like a small town. We had a smooth, calm paddle, arriving in camp mid-afternoon to find a stark site, very recently burned and with only one passable tent site. We only have about four miles to go to Sedge Bay, and we briefly considered continuing on and out this afternoon, but we decided in favor of one more day on the lake before heading home.

“What a ten days this has been. This site is a good port of re-entry, stark as it is. We are once again on the big lake, rather than on the arms, hearing an occasional power boat, looking out at a teeny-tiny speck of Lake Hotel far across the water, knowing that the road lies an easy 4-mile paddle up the shore. Yet it still feels wild, looking southwest to the Tetons.”
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23/09/2024

September 23, 2014: Day 9 of our Yellowstone Lake Adventure

Route: Day hiked from 5E3 past the Yellowstone River Delta, about 9 miles round-trip. Varied trail through willows, young lodgepoles, old lodgepoles, ancient spruce/fir, wet meadows, and dry meadows.

Quote of the Day: "Hey, Bear! Our approach is imminent! Please roll out the red carpet and get out of the way!" - what we yelled when we tired of the standard, "Hey, Bear!"

"Sitting here on the shore of Yellowstone Lake, on the first day of autumn, enjoying the sunshine, the magic hour light, and the peaceful sound of small waves lapping at the rocky shore. Today we dayhiked toward the Thorofare, just about 4.5 miles, from our 5E3 campsite. Far enough to regret missing out on the Thorofare this time, and yet we still feel we made the right decision to adjust our plans.

"Thoughts are turning toward home, as our trip is nearing its end. Tomorrow we begin the paddle north. Already we are seeing more people: 4 in canoes today, and 12 on horses. Already we reminisce about the remote South Arm, with 0 people. Today we determined that measured by actual travel miles rather than by straight-line distance, the South Arm is more remote than the Thorofare. We also reminisce about the wolves, as if it was eons ago, and gloat about our beautiful campsite and good fortune today."

22/09/2024

September 22, 2014: Day 8 of our Yellowstone Lake Adventure

Route: 6A4 to 5E3 (Southeast Arm)
Highlights: Watching wolves take down an elk 100 yards from us in the lake! Lots of loons.

“As we pulled out of camp early this morning (trying to beat the gathering rain clouds), I set my sights from the stern on a tan-colored bush on the opposite side of our small bay, and we took up our paddles. Not five stroked later, we both noticed copious splashing around the bush. Ducks are freaking out again, I thought, as Virginia said, ‘Are those geese splashing over there?’

“Just then, I noticed that the ‘bush’ I’d been watching was in the water, amidst the splashes, and moving frantically. ‘Wait!’ I said, pulling my binoculars up, ‘Those are wolves, chasing an elk!’ We watched over the next few minutes as the six wolves forced the young bull into deeper water, swimming and splashing after it, finally catching up, grabbing the skin in front of the hind legs as the biggest, most barrel-chested gray grabbed the throat and brought it down. When the elk finally fell, it was in water shallow enough that nearly half his bulk lay exposed above the water, and six wagging tails surrounded him.

“Silently, breathlessly, we watched. We whispered. We wondered. How many people will ever watch wolves hunt an elk, from the vantage point of a canoe on a nearly perfectly still morning? The wolves ate, and then looked around – and looked directly at us. Without noticing, we had drifted closer while watching the drama, and they were now just 100 yards from us, reflected in the calm water. Silently, we dipped our paddles and moved away, out of the orange-gold willow-lined bay, leaving the wolves to enjoy their meal in peace.

“En route to our next camp site, we passed another canoe and actually talked to the people, the first people we’ve talked to in over a week, since pushing off from Grant Village.”

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21/09/2024

September 21, 2014: Day 7 of our Yellowstone Lake Adventure

Route: Day hike from Southeast Arm to West Finger of South Arm
Quote of the Day: “Judgment comes from experience; experience is the result of poor judgment.” – Paul Petzoldt

“Cold this morning. Frost everywhere when I awoke just before sunrise.

“We’d planned to hike from here to the Thorofare Trail near the Yellowstone River, but less than ½ mile from camp along that route, we smelled a carcass. Tracks in the trail revealed that the wolves had traveled down the trail past our campsite in the night, leaving steaming-fresh meaty scats along the way. The willows ahead were thick, and so we moved on to Plan D rather than risk surprising a hyperphagic grizzly on a fresh wolf kill.

“Plan D turned out to be an excellent choice. We followed wolf tracks and grizzly tracks along the lakeshore, through old lodgepole forests, into autumn meadows, past kettle ponds, and through ’88 regen. It was a gloriously remote and beautiful autumn hike.

“Thoughts drifted while we hiked. I thought mostly of Jean, who stopped chemo in July after many years. I feel as though she may be gone now. I named my paddle in her honor: Minerva, for the sleek black 14-foot fiberglass canoe that was my favorite during the Teaching of Canoeing class last fall. The canoe was named for the Harry Potter character whose tenacity, intelligence, and power bore a striking resemblance to Jean. Virginia also named her paddle: Goldeneye. And we call the spare, Scooter.”
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20/09/2024

September 20, 2014: Day 6 of our Yellowstone Lake Trip

Route: Promontory to Southeast Arm

“Winged thunder rolled across the southern end of the Southeast Arm as a flock of about 100 waterfowl took frightened flight from a bay along the Yellowstone delta. From where we sat on the beach of our camp site, we couldn’t see what had startled the birds, but our question was answered soon enough. Before we could finish dinner, a long, low howl wafted over the narrow peninsula separating us from the next bay. We both grinned wildly, gathered up our food, and ran down the beach to where we could see toward the direction of the howl.

“As we caught our breath, I lifted binoculars to my eyes and immediately saw at least 13 wolves along the opposite shore. Some loped along the shore, long legs making them float over the golden grass; others played or slept.

“And Yellowstone wasn’t done yet. Suddenly, the poor ducks took off again, this time in the opposite direction. A juvenile bald eagle flew low over the water, eyes searching. Earlier in the day we’d seen an adult bald eagle demonstrating some truly astonishing acrobatics in pursuit of ducks. That baldy had swooped, hovered, skimmed the lake, rose, dove, and repeated. At one point, the eagle had even landed in the water after a missed dive, sat there for a few minutes like an odd duck, and then laboriously taken flight, soaking wet. This juvenile eagle had no such show in store for us, but the ducks’ reactions indicated that they were aware of his capabilities.

“We turned our attention back to the wolves, who now were mostly bedded except for one black pup who was frolicking in the willows and grasses. Soon we were interrupted by an otter swimming quite close to shore. Then, our gazes shifted between wolves and otter like we were watching a wild tennis match. One by one, the wolves bedded more contentedly, and we watched as the otter drew closer and closer to the shore near camp. Darkness falling, we followed the otter back to camp.”

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19/09/2024

September 19, 2014: Day 5 of our Yellowstone Lake Adventure

Route: 5L4 (South Arm) to 5L8 (Promontory)
Highlights: Sunshine! Making it to camp by about noon and relaxing and drying out gear for the afternoon. So many pelicans.

Commentary:

“Today we heard and saw the first signs of other humans since Flat Mountain Arm on Day 2. It’s strange that everyone thinks of the Southeast Arm as the most remote arm – just because it leads to the Thorofare. From a canoeist’s perspective, the South Arm is far more remote. From the Southeast Arm, or even from here on The Promontory, a paddler could get to the front country in a day, weather permitting. From the South Arm, it’s a solid two days, maybe more. You really are out there, and no one is coming to help for a long time.

“We arrived in camp today about noon after paddling through wicked winds and waves all morning. Upon arrival, we discovered fresh griz sign in camp: fresh digs and what looks like an older den. Other campsite options are limited; after the fire last summer, much of the Promontory is closed to camping due to standing dead trees. Silly as it sounds, we’ve been peeing on the game trail that leads into camp, hoping that the scent will warn Mr. Bear that we’re here and we’re human so maybe he’ll leave us alone.”

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Videos

Mollies Wolves in Yellowstone

Elk rut in Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone

(Sound on to hear bugling!) The elk rut is in full force in Mammoth, as bull #24 herds his harem of cows through the village. The green, manicured lawns at Mammoth Village are comprised of Kentucky bluegrass that was planted when the Army was in residence. It was intended to reduce the dust around the parade grounds and throughout the dry village where wealthy visitors from the lush forests of the East often spent their first night in Yellowstone. Today, the grass is considered to be part of the Fort Yellowstone historical district, so it is irrigated and maintained - which also provides excellent elk forage at a time of year when most other grasses have dried up in preparation for winter. ------- #wildlifevideos #FindYourPark #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Sandhill Cranes in Yellowstone

Families of sandhill cranes are moving through Yellowstone on their fall migrations. We enjoy watching them feed on grasses and insects in open meadows and valleys. At this time of year, you might notice that some sandhill cranes are brown, while others are pale gray. The gray plumage is their typical winter plumage; cranes often preen themselves by rubbing brownish mud on their feathers with their beaks in the spring and early summer, turning their plumage brown and adding camouflage for the breeding season. ---- #wildlifevideos #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Wolves on a bison carcass in Yellowstone

What do you notice when you watch this video? Can you tell which wolf is more dominant, and which is more subordinate? It’s amazing what you can observe when you take some time to slow down and really watch animal behavior! We were fortunate to watch these two Junction Butte pack wolves on a bull bison carcass last week. The Junction Butte alpha male is black with gray cheeks, so we initially thought this might be him; however, while we heard folks around us calling this the alpha male, we observed how low this individual’s tail was held the entire time we watched, indicating that this is a subordinate wolf, not the alpha male. Subordinate female 1386 is also black with gray cheeks, and by carefully observing the body language and interactions between these two, we were able to correctly ID this wolf as 1386F. Some of you may know that a wolf only gets a number if the wolf has a collar, and yet 1386F does not have a collar in this video; she lost her collar, but she is still visibly identifiable and therefore is still referred to by her research number. A note about terminology: You may have heard that the term “alpha” is outdated. Biologists who study wolf populations elsewhere (e.g., the Great Lakes region) now favor the term “breeding” male and female instead of “alpha” male and female. In wolf populations with simple pack structures, where leadership is determined almost exclusively by who the breeding adults are in a pack that consists only of adults and their own offspring, “breeding” is a more accurate term than “alpha.” However, here in Yellowstone, pack structures are complex, and leadership is determined by a variety of factors. Often, there are multiple breeders within one pack, yet there is still clearly a dominant, or lead, female and male. The Junction Butte pack is a prime example: 1386F is decidedly NOT the lead or alpha female (as evidenced by her body language here), and yet she is a breeder most years, including this ye

Osprey chicks on nest in Yellowstone

Last week, all three osprey chicks were still on their nest in northern Yellowstone. When we checked a couple of days ago, one had fledged, and I'm sure the others will follow very soon (if they haven't already!). Mom and Dad will continue to feed and watch over the youngsters for some time after they leave the nest, but by fall, the chicks must be ready to migrate on their own. The two adults also will migrate separately from one another, and will meet up again at this nest next spring to begin the cycle again. ------ #wildlifevideos #FindYourPark #keepitwild #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Grizzly bear in Yellowstone

Grizzlies have been elusive with the hot temperatures the past few weeks, but we managed to spot this one traveling above Lamar Valley in the cool early-morning hours of our Sunrise Wolves & Wildlife tour yesterday. Many grizzlies are at high elevations right now, eating tiny Army cutworm moths, investigating whitebark pine nut crops, and staying cool during hot summer days. As temperatures cool and food resources shift over the next few weeks, some bears will return to lower elevations, and our luck with spotting them is likely to improve into the autumn. ----- #yellowstonebackcountry #wildlifevideos #FindYourPark #keepitwild #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Wolf Pup in Yellowstone

The Junction Butte wolf pups are getting big! Yesterday, we watched them frolick and play not far from their den. They are getting more adventurous, wandering farther and farther. Most likely, they will leave the den area for good within the next few weeks. The fact that they are still near the den is remarkable, as the Junction Butte pack has moved their pups away from the den to a summer rendezvous site in mid-June each of the past few summers, yet here we are in mid-August and they're still hanging around the den! We've been fortunate to enjoy a lot of great wolf-watching this summer, and we look forward to seeing where these "little" ones end up over the course of the fall and winter as they begin to travel with the pack, moving on to the next phase of their wolf education: learning how to hunt, how to patrol territory, and how to interact within the social structure of their family. ----------- #wildlifevideos #yellowstonewolves #FindYourPark #keepitwild #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Moose in Yellowstone

Here's a video of the cow moose from our tour last week. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying munching on aquatic vegetation, keeping her head underwater for what seemed like ages before resurfacing with a mouthful of greenery. Not only is most aquatic vegetation extremely digestible, it's also richer in sodium than terrestrial vegetation is, and this may be why moose seek out aquatic vegetation throughout the summer. ------ #wildlifevideos #FindYourPark #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Grizzlies "see" the world through their noses, with a sense of smell that is estimated to be 7 times better than that of a bloodhound. That's why it's so important to keep food and other "smellables" tucked safely away when you're living or camping in bear country! Bears are naturally curious and will investigate novel scents in order to discover new food sources. Once a bear learns about a good food source, whether from Mom as a cub or by exploring on its own later in life, that bear will remember that food source for the rest of its life. [Video shows a grizzly walking through Lamar Valley, nose on the alert, smelling for food. Video was shot by Yellowstone Wildlife Profiles guide Josh while on tour.] ------ #wildlifevideos #natgeowild #FindYourPark #keepitwild #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Wolf pup in Yellowstone

Wolf puppy! We watched this black pup on Sunday morning. The pup was very curious about all the digging the gray adult was doing to renovate the den. At this age, wolf pups weigh only about 7-10 lbs and have the floppy ears and "smushed" face characteristic of young animals. In the next month or so, the pups will be weaned and their facial features will start to look more adult-like, with ears standing up, forehead elongating, and nose becoming more pointed. Many domestic dog breeds, close relatives (some biologists even say subspecies) of gray wolves, retain juvenile wolf traits into adulthood. Think about the floppy ears of many domestic dog breeds, the shorter face of a breed such as a pug, the curled tail, and the more prominent forehead, which is present even in more "wolf-like" breeds such as malamutes, huskies, and german shepherds. The retention of juvenile traits - called neoteny - indicates that most "good dogs" are genetically, morphologically, and behaviorally very similar to juvenile wolves throughout their lives. This is what makes domestic dogs good pets: They have the social communication capabilities of wolves, and yet they don't seek to become dominant over their human "pack-mates" because they see themselves as pups for their whole lives. --- #wildlifevideos #yellowstonewolves #natgeowild #keepitwild #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Explore Yellowstone with expert local guides!

#wildlifevideography #wildlifevideos #yellowstonebison #yellowstonewolves #natgeowild #FindYourPark #yellowstonewildlife #experienceyellowstone #VisitGardinerMT #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstonecountry #yellowstoneeducation

Happy Mother's Day!

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