Part 2

Where found: Most likely to be seen in Swan Lake Flat and Willow Park between Mammoth and Norris; in the Dunraven Pass area; along Lewis River above Lewis Canyon and between Fishing Bridge and the East Entrance. Active all day but they are best seen early in the morning or in late afternoon and evening. Moose are also numerous in the Falls River Basin, Pelican Creek, Slough Creek areas and along the Yellowstone River above the Lake. These animals are thought to number between 500 and 700 for the entire park area and seem to maintain a rather constant level.

MULE DEER Odocoileus hemionus

The Rocky Mountain Mule Deer, or Blacktail Deer, is a popular animal in the park. The Whitetail deer also was sometimes found in the lower elevations in earlier times but has not been seen in the park for some years. The mule deer gets its name from the family characteristic of the very large mule-like ears.

Mule deer are generally distributed over most of the park during the summer but do not tend to go above timberline as much as do the elk. In the winter they drift down to the lower, more protected ranges, but, not in migratory herds as the elk do.

Their food consists of grass, twigs, foliage of trees and shrubs, plants and fruits. They especially like leaves and buds and sometimes prove destructive to the shrubbery about the developed areas where the landscaping must be protected.

The fawns, one, frequently two and occasionally three in number, are born in late May to July. They are beautiful little spotted creatures that are kept hidden for a time until able to follow their mother. Quite frequently people, upon finding a fawn hidden in the bushes, take it away thinking that something has happened to its mother. This should not be done for it almost invariably does much more harm than good. Once in a while something does happen to the mother but in most cases she is not far away and will return to the fawn when the proper time comes.

General description: A rather large deer with large ears; antler tines pronged; tip of tail black. Female without antlers. Males shed their antlers sometime between December and April annually. Summer color tawny to yellowish brown with large patch of white on rump, throat white. In the winter they are dark gray instead of brownish. Males, total length 68 inches, height at shoulder 42 inches and weight 150 to 200 pounds for the average buck. Females smaller.

Terms: Male—buck; female—doe; young—fawn.

Where found: In the summertime they are well scattered over the park and may possibly be seen along the trails at the edges of open meadows along the roadside, or near developed areas, day or night. The population varies from year to year and of recent years from a maximum of 1200 to a minimum of about 600.

BIGHORN Ovis canadensis

An interesting inhabitant of the roughest, rockiest mountain country as well as the high arctic alpine meadows is the Bighorn or Rocky Mountain Sheep. The sure-footedness with which they will dash, in full flight, up or down seemingly impossible slopes is truly amazing. Negotiating with ease places that the most skillful mountaineer, with all his climbing equipment, can scale only by slow and laborious means. Even the picturesque ram with his great recurved horns can leap from point to point with grace and agility.

It might well be mentioned here that the fable of the ram habitually jumping and landing on his horns is not true. They are used, however, as fighting equipment and the shock they can withstand is terrific as the rams square off about thirty yards apart, then dash at each other until they collide head-on with all the speed and power they can muster. This continues until one or the other finally retires groggily from the scene. The ewe also has horns but they are short and only slightly curved.

Bighorns eat practically any of the plant life that grows within their domain, which is preferably near and above timber line in the summertime. There they remain during the summer. In the winter they select either open, windswept slopes that will be kept free from snow or else drift down to the lower, more protected places in the valleys.

The bighorn ewe has one or two lambs which are born in the spring. Their lambs soon learn to play like our domestic sheep, and before they are very old are given their mountain-climbing lessons by watchful mothers. When still quite small they can follow the band with almost as much skill as the older ones.

Their ancient enemies are the wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats and, in the case of the young, the eagles. In Yellowstone, wolves, lions and bobcats are now rare in occurrence. These create a hazardous life for the mountain sheep. Then with the addition of man and his impact upon them they have had trouble even holding their own and in recent years are threatening to become another of our vanishing species, especially because of the keen competition with elk for forage.

General description: A large, blocky wild sheep, covered with a thick coat of hair, not wool, brownish to grayish brown in color with a creamy-white rump. Males with massive horns which curl back, out, downward then forward and up. Females with more slender, short and slightly curved horns. Total length five to six feet, 38 to 42 inches in height at shoulder and 200 to 300 pounds in weight. Females smaller.

Terms: Male—ram; female—ewe; young—lamb.

Where found: Summer in higher mountain ridges especially around Mt. Washburn, Quadrant Mountain and on Sepulchre Mountain. In winter they usually migrate down lower especially to the Mt. Everts section between Mammoth and Gardiner. They are often seen in the vicinity of the junction of the Lamar and Yellowstone Rivers and occasionally near Oxbow Creek. Of recent years the Yellowstone population seems to be declining. The population has changed from an estimated maximum of about 400 to an estimated minimum of 170.

BLACK BEAR Ursus americanus

The question most frequently asked by the park visitor is, “Where can I see a bear?” For this natural born clown of the woods is probably our best known park animal. The black bear is smart and quickly adapts himself to a life of comparative ease. Why rustle for a living when a few antics and a little begging about the camps or along the roadside will produce a nice array of scraps or sweets, thinks he.

That is when the trouble starts for both bear and visitor. For Mr. Bear, regardless of how friendly he may seem, is a dangerous, wild animal, capable of inflicting severe injury by one blow of his powerful paw or a bite from his well-armed jaws. A visitor who feeds or even approaches a bear too closely not only is risking injury to himself but is contributing to a condition that may cause the injury of an innocent visitor in the future. He also is violating regulations which have been established in an attempt to provide protection for the visitor and the animals.

Once fed, the bear continues to expect food. He prowls around the camps and a smell of food is an invitation to break into cabin, tent or car, which he can and does do with comparative ease. The offenses he commits pile up—injuries to persons, damage to property—until the offender must be either taken for a long ride or shot. One less bear for a visitor to see, yet the visitor has done much to cause this by his failure to observe the rules against feeding these animals. Every year a long list of personal injuries, varying from slight to serious occur. Property damage incidents accumulate in ever-increasing numbers. For your safety, for the safety of other visitors and the sake of the bear do not feed, molest, tease or treat him as a pet. Help to keep them as a natural part of our wildlife.

The cinnamon and brown bears of this country are simply color phases of the black bear, the blonds and brunettes of the family. The various graduations of color are frequently intermixed in the same family; hence it is a common occurrence to see a black bear female with brown cubs, a brown and a black cub, or even all three colors.

The bears hibernate during the winter months, usually from late October or November to March or April depending upon the weather conditions. In the fall they put on a thick layer of fat which furnishes the needed nourishment during the winter. During this hibernation they are not in a deep sleep as has sometimes been thought; they remain conscious and although sleepy are frequently restless and move around occasionally. Hibernation dens are usually in caves, or under windfalls, buildings or other protected places.

It is during hibernation that the young are born, usually in January. At first the cubs are very small, only about eight inches long, weighing from eight to twelve ounces and are naked, blind and helpless. The black bear usually has two cubs though occasionally one, three or four. The cubs grow rapidly and are able to follow their mother around when she comes out of hibernation. If mother is a highway or camp beggar the cubs soon learn it too and then the trouble starts. The female bear is a good mother and it is extremely dangerous to come between her and the cubs. She makes the cubs mind, spanking them vigorously if they fail to do so. The cubs hibernate with their mother their first winter and are then usually weaned by the next summer. The female black bear has a new litter of cubs only every two or three years.

These animals are omnivorous, eating anything that comes their way, grass, fruit, berries, roots, mammals, birds, carrion, grubs and ants, fish, frogs etc.

General description: A medium-sized bear, with considerable variation in color, from glossy black to cinnamon brown or yellowish, often with a brown muzzle. Claws of forefeet curved and slightly longer than those of hind feet. Its generally smaller size, straight facial profile and lack of shoulder hump distinguishes the black from the grizzly bear. Adult blacks can climb trees readily. Sexes are alike in appearance, with total length of about 60 inches, tail 5 inches, height at shoulder from 25 to 35 or more inches and weight from 200 to 400 pounds, occasionally over.

Terms: Male—boar; female—sow; young—cubs.

Where found: Throughout the park, though most frequently seen in the vicinity of camps and cabin areas. It is possible to see them any time night or day but it is dangerous to approach them too closely at any time; a mother with cubs is doubly dangerous. Extreme care should be used in parking to watch bears so that you do not create a highway traffic hazard which endangers the lives of others. Do not permit the bear to approach closely. Never place yourself or others in a position of danger with respect to these animals.

PARK REGULATIONS PROHIBIT THE FEEDING OR MOLESTING OF THE BEARS. ABIDE BY THEM.

GRIZZLY BEAR Ursus horribilis ssp.

There are probably more Grizzlies in Yellowstone Park now than in any other area of the United States. Elsewhere they have been reduced by extensive hunting. Members of this genus are the largest and most formidable of the carnivorous animals of North America. The variety found in the park is probably surpassed in size only by the Giant Brown Bear of Alaska and the White Bear of the Arctic seas.

Fortunately the Yellowstone grizzly is inclined to mind his own business and is not addicted to the panhandling or clowning traits of the black bear. He does sometimes come into the camps and cabin areas in search of food but generally is seen only rarely by visitors. In the woods, if given a reasonable chance, he will move away from your vicinity. However, a grizzly surprised at close range will frequently charge the person, surprising him. In this event a tree is the safest place to attain as the adult grizzly is unable to climb trees.

The grizzly is a large animal but in spite of this is able to travel with tremendous speed and can outrun a horse for a short distance. He is powerful enough to kill elk and other large animals and he does doubtless occasionally attack large mammals if the opportunity seems favorable. He often takes sick or feeble animals or young ones. However, the grizzly is usually content to make a diet of grass, roots, berries, fruits, mushrooms, ants, mice, rats, gophers and other small animals and any carrion he happens to find. In areas outside of the park occasional individuals have been known to kill cattle, sheep and hogs.

The grizzly hibernates like the black bear, although frequently at higher elevations, where the period is longer due to weather conditions.

Grizzly cubs are born in January and are blind, naked and helpless, and weigh possibly as much as a pound at birth. One or two, and occasionally three or four, are born in each litter. Litters usually occur every second or third year. A grizzly cub can climb trees readily until he is about a year old, after that his claws become too long and blunt and he loses his inclination for climbing.

General description: A large heavily built bear with a dished face that gives a concave profile, a broad head and a hump at the shoulders. Tail short, claws long and slightly curved with whitish or yellowish streaks. Color subject to seasonal and individual variation, yellowish brown to blackish with a sprinkling of whitish or silvery-tipped hairs. In winter the coat appears grayer with the silver hairs more pronounced, hence the name Silvertip. Underparts are colored the same except for lacking the grizzling. Sexes colored alike but the females are somewhat smaller in size than males. Males are six to eight feet in length, tail two inches, with height at shoulder from three to nearly four feet. The weight varies from 350 to 900 pounds with some individuals running to nearly 1200 pounds.

Terms: Male—boar; female—sow; young—cubs.

Where found: Throughout the park but most common near the Canyon, Fishing Bridge and Old Faithful. Usually stirring around most frequently in the evening or during the night.

COUGAR Felis concolor

Mountain Lion, Panther, Puma or Painter are other names applied to this, the largest of our North American unspotted cats.

In spite of blood-tingling tales to the contrary, under normal conditions the cougar is a harmless animal as far as man is concerned. For unless wounded or cornered it is extremely shy and is one of the most difficult of wild animals to see under normal circumstances. Physically it is quite capable of killing an unarmed person but generally its inclinations are to very carefully avoid humans instead. However, if wounded, in defending its young, or treed in the chase this cat should be respected.

The cougar is frequently a wide-ranging hunter and its hunting territory may be the area in a radius of thirty to fifty miles from the home den. For that reason it is widely distributed and does not become very numerous in any comparatively small area.

The range of the cougar is comparable with that of the various species of deer since they and the other larger mammals of that type are the cougars’ preferred food. They have been found to be quite destructive to domestic stock also and have been extensively hunted for that reason. Normally the cougar does not kill more than it needs at a time and is known to cache the uneaten portion of a carcass for future use. However, occasional animals have acquired reputations as killers.

A cougar’s den is usually in a cave but may be in the shelter of windfalls if a suitable cave is lacking. Here the young, from one to three or four in number, averaging two, are born. They are generally born in late winter or early spring, but may be born in any month of the year. Like our domestic cat, the cougar is a playful animal; adults as well as young have been found to be rather easily tamed. The young are spotted for approximately six months after birth.

General description: A very large cat with a proportionally small head and a long cylindrical tail. Body long, lithe and powerful. Fur soft and rather short, of a tawny or dull yellowish-brown color. The males are somewhat larger than females. Length 7 or 8 feet and weight about 150 pounds.

Terms: Male—tom or lion; female—lioness; young—cubs or kittens.

Where found: Rare in the park and has seldom been seen. Ranges the timbered mountain areas and may be about during the daytime but most usually in the evening or night. Its scream is supposed to be blood-curdling but that of the bobcat has probably been mistaken for the cougar on frequent occasions. Cougars have been reported so rarely and their sign seen so little that they are considered one of the rarest of animals in the park.

COYOTE Canis latrans

The “little wolf” was a common sight on the western prairies in earlier times, his nightly serenade ringing out from the summits of the buttes through which the lonely trails wound. In spite of the persecution by man the coyote is just as common, even now, in many parts of his range, and even in the more settled farming areas his intelligence and wily ways have enabled him to continue a precarious existence.

Coyotes are not only accused of making serious depredations on game animals but on domestic animals as well. It is true that they have caused damage in stock-growing areas among sheep, poultry and young animals, for in such areas other food is scarce. The coyotes of Yellowstone were originally blamed for serious wildlife losses until the results of careful research proved differently. This research has shown us that the chief food of the coyote consists of marmots, picket-pins, mice, rabbits and other small animals as well as carrion. Seldom are larger wild animals killed other than the young, the old, sick or crippled that are comparatively easy prey. It was customarily assumed that when coyotes were seen on a carcass that they were the cause of the death, when actually many of the animals died from other causes before the coyotes found them.

In fact, the elimination of the coyotes, it is thought by some, would mean the increase of rodents to such an extent that we would be faced with a serious problem of over-population of them, as well as a probable increase in disease among the larger animals. The deer, elk and others of the larger animals, in good physical condition, are capable of killing the coyote and it is a frequent sight to see several of them chasing a coyote instead of being chased. An over-population of coyotes can become a menace to any animal, large or small, and in some instances control of coyote numbers has been found necessary.

The coyote home is in some little cave or cavity among rocks or a burrow in the ground. The five to seven young are born in April and are well cared for by both parents. By August they are nearly full grown and are hunting in family groups. Come winter the young disperse to new range areas and have been known to travel many miles from their place of birth.

General description: A rather small, slender animal resembling a shepherd dog in general appearance, with a fairly long and heavy coat, coarsely grizzled buffy, grayish and black, almost yellowish in some subspecies; underparts lighter. Tail large and bushy. Males larger than females. Total length 3½ to 4½ feet; height at shoulder 16 to 18 inches and weight 35 to 45 pounds.

Here in Yellowstone large coyotes are frequently mistaken for the gray wolf which is very rare. However, the wolf is a much larger, heavier and more powerful animal, weighing from 80 to 100 or more pounds and is 5½ or more feet in length.

Terms: Male—dog; female—bitch; young—pups.

Where found: Throughout the park at practically all elevations. Most frequently seen in the open meadows in daytime or evening. Howls most often during the night. Often seen in the winter on the lower range lands, especially around or near the carcasses of animals which have died and become carrion.

GRAY WOLF Canis lupus

To many weary emigrants crouched beside their campfires along the rutted wagon trails which lead onward into the west and to many lonely homesteaders sitting in their cabins on a wintry night the eerie sound of the long deep howl of the Gray Wolf, drifting along on the night wind, gave a feeling of foreboding and a threat of the sinister. Actually the wolf’s howl is very much like that of a large dog and the wild setting is required to give the feeling that it imparts to the listeners.

This animal has been known under the various names of Gray Wolf; Timber Wolf; Lobo; Loafer and Buffalo Wolf.

Once widely distributed over most of the United States the several species of wolves have been exterminated over most of their range and are now restricted to a few of the more remote areas. The wolf is almost entirely carnivorous in food habits with a preference for the larger wild animals and domestic stock when available and so has been persistently hunted by man. Due to their larger size, appetites and different characteristics from those of the coyote the wolves were not able to adapt themselves to the inroads of civilization and so have been pushed continually farther back into the unsettled areas and may soon vanish entirely from the scene.

Wolves became rather numerous at different times in the earlier days of this park’s history. They were persistently hunted during the period of the Army administration and for a time after the National Park Service took over the administration, until the time that the policy of letting the predators carry on their own natural existence unmolested was established. During this first period the numbers of the wolves were so depleted that today they are very rare in the park area.

Park visitors frequently mistake one of the larger coyotes for a wolf and report it as such. But to a person familiar with both animals there is a decided difference. The average wolf is nearly twice as heavy as a coyote, larger and more powerful, with larger legs and feet and a broader head and muzzle. They are seldom seen from the highways except possibly in the winter and there have been no more than one or two authentic sight records of the animals or their tracks reported annually in recent years.

Wolves ordinarily utilize either a natural cave, a hollow log, a hole dug in the ground by themselves or one dug by other animals, for a nursery den. According to several authorities, the nest for the young is not lined with any material. The young, numbering from 3 to 13 but usually 6 to 8, are born in March or April. They are blind and nearly naked. Most evidence found in available literature indicates that the adults pair permanently and the male assists in securing food for the family.

General description: Much like a large dog, larger, heavier and more powerful than the coyote. There is no color difference between males and females and the individual varies little if any in color during the different seasons of the year. However, there is a great color variation between different individuals, the color ranging from gray, either light or dark, sprinkled with black or darkish on upper parts and yellowish white underparts to dark and almost black individuals. Males are largest, averaging from 75 to 100 pounds or more in weight and over five feet in length. Females from 60 to 80 pounds and slightly under five feet.

Term: Male—dog; female—bitch; young—pups.

Where found: Might be encountered in various sections of the park but most recent records are from the northeast part from Canyon north and east to Lamar River and Slough Creek drainages. Probably follow the elk herds in the winter.