Wildlife

Let’s see, one of your top five reasons for planning a vacation to Yellowstone National Park is to see the wildlife right? Real wildlife, like buffalo, wolves, and even bears, in their natural habitat enjoying the vast wilderness before them. Well, you’ve picked the right national park.

Yellowstone National Park is home to more wild animals than almost anywhere else in the U.S. Visitors are likely to see a number of animals in Yellowstone freely roaming the landscape, from Yellowstone’s two types of bears – grizzlies and black bears – to gray wolves (which were once almost extinct in the area), bison (one of the most prevalent species in the park), eagles, trumpeter swans and many more.

Not only are these animals beautiful and powerful, they have so much to teach us about nature and life. Please be respectful of their stomping ground! Yellowstone is not a zoo and wild animals can be unpredictable (or very predictable depending on how you look at it). Dangers in Yellowstone | What to Do If You See a Bear | How Close You Should Get

Bison Cow and Calf at the National Bison Range in Montana.

Catch wildlife-viewing fever in Yellowstone? You can see magnificent animals far beyond the park’s boundaries in Wyoming, Idaho or Montana.

Releasing a Sawtooth wolf pup into the Nez Perce acclimation pen, February 1997.

The history of wolves in Yellowstone - what has happened to the environment when they were eradicated and when they were returned Jan 12, 1995.

Wild horses roam the desert south of Yellowstone. Prior Mountain wild horses run near Billings, Montana & descendants of Buffalo Bill's horses are east of Cody.

A flood of science is emerging from research focused on the impact that wolves have on a host of other species, especially elk and coyotes.

Having Counter Assault bear spray at the ready

Gary Moses, former national park ranger and product ambassador for Counter Assault bear spray, shares his tips to avoid a dangerous bear encounter.

Otter at Willow Flats in Grand Teton National Park

Keep your eye out for these charismatic small animals. Though they may be smaller in size than elk, moose, bison and bears, they have just as much star quality.

Finding wildlife in Yellowstone requires patience and a willingness to brave the elements and early morning hours. Here are some pro tips.

If you’re looking to get a close-up look at America’s national symbol, Yellowstone National Park is a great place to do it. Bald eagles are often spotted soaring through the skies, especially around lakes and rivers.

When do the Yellowstone bears hibernate and when do they wake and come out of their dens? See photos and watch a video.

How to Hold Bear Spray. Photo NPS Diane Renkin

A charging grizzly bear is NOT the same thing as a mugger on a street corner, or even a charging pit bull. Get a bear spray deterrent that's up to the job.

During the winter season, buffalo head to lower ground in the North area of Yellowstone. Watch the video below to see how bison shovel snow with their heads to reveal grass underneath.

Many overlook the Coyote, as Yellowstone's "lesser dogs of winter," but they are beautiful creatures, who are more than worthy of a few photographs.

These bison stem from an original population of 25 that survived mass killings. Yet, for the past 17 years, they have been sent to the slaughterhouse.

25 minute old elk calf at Mammoth Hot Springs.

If capturing a glimpse of wobbling baby elk and furry baby black bears is on your bucket list, plan to head to Yellowstone National Park between April and June.

Drive through a free-range bear habitat at Yellowstone Bear World

All kinds of animals—including wolves, elk, bears and bison—roam throughout this outdoor playground. See them from your own car.

A black bear approaching a vehicle on the road in Yellowstone, June 1967. A common sight at the time, in the years before efforts were made to keep bears and humans more distant. Photo by Jonathan Schilling via Wikimedia Commons

Back in the early 1960s, my family took that quintissential American vacation to Yellowstone National Park. It was a memorable adventure and quite different from Saturday morning cartoon fare of Yogi, Boo-boo and Mr. Ranger at Jellystone Park.

The beautiful trumpeter swans are the largest North American waterfowl and the world’s heaviest flying birds. Great birding abounds in Wyoming, Utah, Montana, and Idaho

Contrary to what some wolf opponents claim, ecology expert says gray wolves in Yellowstone will not wipe out prey, such as elk and deer

How wolves in Yellowstone have impacted their environment is an evolving story. What's happened regarding ungulate populations, hunter harvest, domestic livestock, and land use.

West Yellowstone Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Photo by John Williams.

Complete your vacation to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks by visiting the not-for-profit Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. Observe live bears and wolves in naturalistic habitats.

Visit Yellowstone National Park in autumn to experience the unforgettable call of the bull elk in the mating season.

Herd of horses at Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary

Spend a couple spectacular hours with wild horses and learn about Native American culture at the Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary.

A woman watching a bison from a safe distance in Yellowstone

Stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards away from other large mammals like bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes.

Although both black bears and grizzlies have a fearsome reputation for scratching or mauling people to death, attacks rarely occur, and deaths are even chancer.

There are roughly 60 wolves grouped into 8 different packs inside Yellowstone, but the number has constantly fluctuated in recent times.

Bison on the road to Mammoth Hot Springs

Our city slicker impulses may be to beep the horn if one bison decides to hold everyone up. Here's what you should do.

About 800 moose inhabit the southern part of Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park and surrounding national forests.

Wolves mean fewer elk and fewer elk hunters. That costs $$. But wolves also bring in the lookers who want to learn about these predators and that brings $$.