The Bison 1 page contains images of Bison calves, juveniles and adults taken at the end of winter
(late April at this latitude and altitude) and in autumn, in central Yellowstone National Park and in
the Lamar and Hayden Valleys. Images include portraits, scenics, and several shots of Bison
blocking the Grand Loop Road (Bison travel on the road, and seem to like blocking cars).

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Bison 1: Winter, Calves, Roadblocks and Portraits

Bison 2: Bison in Central Yellowstone            Bison 3: Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley

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There are over 165 images in the Bison Gallery.

Bison in Snow Gibbon River 5715

Rangers paddle a canoe on the Gibbon River past a group of Bison
foraging in a snow-covered meadow at the end of winter in late April.

Yellowstone National Park is mostly at 7000 to 8000 feet in altitude and above the 44th Parallel.
At this altitude and latitude, spring comes in May in most areas of the park, and snowstorms can
often continue through April, as can be seen in a number of images which are shown on this page.

Bison in Snow Gibbon River 5710

A lone bison standing on a slope above the Gibbon River watches the photographer through falling snow in late April.

Bison in Snow Tangled Creek 5768

A female bison walks along the bank beside Tangled Creek, just south of Fountain Paint Pot in central Yellowstone.

American Bison are popularly known as Buffalo although they are only distantly related to true buffalo
(the Asian Water Buffalo and African Buffalo) from which the Bison evolved 5 to 10 million years ago.

Bison in Snow Tangled Creek 5749

Geothermal steam rises above Tangled Creek, in the Lower Geyser Basin south of Fountain Paint Pot,
as a group of bison in the foreground forage through the snow and rest at the end of winter in late April.

Bison use their large shoulder and neck muscles to swing their massive heads back and forth to clear the
snow away and allow them to forage, unlike cattle, elk and other ungulates who dig snow with their hooves.

Bison Tasting Snow Tangled Creek 5741 M

A bison tastes the falling snow near Tangled Creek in Yellowstone’s Lower Geyser Basin.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.

Bison in Snowstorm Obsidian Cliffs 6564

Bison grazing near Obsidian Cliffs during a late April snowstorm in Yellowstone National Park.

Bison are the largest terrestrial animal in North America. The current Plains Bison evolved from the
Steppe Bison, some of which crossbred with ancestors of the modern Yak and crossed the Bering
land bridge into North America between 500,000 and 225,000 years ago. Steppe Bison evolved
into Giant Longhorn Bison, which became extinct during the Quaternary Extinction Event in the
late Wisconsin Glaciation 21,000 to 30,000 years ago and were replaced by Bison antiquus,
a smaller species which in turn evolved into Bison occidentalis, the first of the bison to have
horns which pointed upwards. Bison occidentalis evolved into the smaller Bison bison (the
modern species) between 5000 and 10,000 years ago, after the last glacial period of the
Pleistocene Era. Millions of Plains Bison once covered the Great Plains, but they were
hunted to near-extinction in the late 19th century, reduced to a low of 541 individuals.

Bison and Calf in Snow 5772

A female Bison and her newborn calf walk through the snow in late April near Tangled Creek in Yellowstone.

Bison calves are about 40 to 50 pounds at birth, and are up walking and running within a few hours of being born.
They are generally weaned at 6 months old, when females are about 350 pounds and males are about 425 pounds.

The Banner below leads to the Bison Gallery where images can be selected.

There are over 165 images in the Bison Gallery.

Bison and Calves Madison River 7101

A bison female and calves at rest in a meadow near the Madison River in late April.
Bison calves are born with golden brown fur. They begin turning brown after 2.5 months.
Bison only have a single calf, but as you can see here they occasionally babysit other calves.

Bison and Newborn Calf 5897

Bison and Nursing Calf 5901

A female bison nurses her newborn calf near Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park.

Bison calves are born after a 9 to 9.5 month gestation period and are 40 to 50 pounds at birth.
When they are born, the calves lack the conspicuous shoulder hump of the more mature bison.

Bison Newborn Calf 7169

A newborn calf, still showing its umbilical cord, in a 420mm telephoto extreme closeup taken near
Tangled Creek in the Lower Geyser Basin of central Yellowstone on the first day of May. This was
a rather interesting experience. This calf and its mother were about 50 yards beyond the edge of
the herd when I encountered them, and I approached them gradually, stopping at about 25 yards.
The calf became curious, and walked in even closer, followed by its mother. I kept a close eye on
the mother and did not move or make a sound (avoiding taking shots so the shutter sound would
not startle them). After a few minutes, the mother resumed grazing, and I took this group of shots.

Bison Newborn Calf 7170

Bison Newborn Calf 7199

300mm telephoto closeups of a bison calf with its umbilical cord still intact, taken near Tangled Creek in May.

Bison Newborn Calf 7177

A newborn bison calf sniffs a fallen tree near Tangled Creek in the Lower Geyser Basin of central Yellowstone.

While taking these shots, I kept a close eye on the mother and the rest of the herd, especially the dominant bull.
When the mother and bull were both grazing, I took shots. When they were watching or moving, I remained still.
The mother was only about 25 yards away, but the rest of the herd was grazing about 75 yards from me. After
 a while, the bull started moving towards me, stopping every few yards to graze. As long as he kept grazing, I
was not worried, but when he got about 15 yards outside the herd, the dominant females followed him and
the rest of the herd came along with them. This is when things got interesting. I kept a close eye on the bull
and the dominant females, and as they and the rest of the herd approached, they continued to graze and I
continued to take shots. Soon, the herd came up to the mother and both she and the herd moved closer.
I alternated watching them and taking shots when they stopped to graze, and a few of the females then
moved around me. Eventually I found myself surrounded by the herd, who continued placidly grazing.

Bison Newborn Calf 7192 M

Bison Newborn Calf 7204

At about this time, the bull and the dominant females began to move towards me, and I slowly headed for the nearest tree.

As long as the bison continued grazing, they obviously did not consider me to be a threat and it was best for me to remain in place, making as few movements and as little noise as possible. Once the dominant bison stopped grazing and began to concentrate on me and move specifically in my direction, the advantages of remaining still were offset by the possibility that the bison would consider me to be a threat to the calf or the rest of the herd, and moving directly away from the calf first, then taking a path that avoided the grazing bison nearby while heading for the nearest tree seemed to be the most prudent choice.

My wife watched this entire episode from the car, about 100 yards away, and was rather freaked out from the time the herd started to move towards me. When I was surrounded, she was certain that I was about to be squished like a bug. No problem.

Just another day in Yellowstone National Park.

Bison Calf at Sunset Norris Junction 9851

The golden brown fur of a young calf is lit by the rays of the setting sun in this image
taken near the Norris Junction Ranger Station in central Yellowstone National Park.

This calf was obviously born late in the season, as it is still quite gold in late September.
A bison’s dominance is related to when it is born. The most dominant bulls mate in the first
two to three weeks of the season, and subordinate bulls mate with any estrous cows which
have not yet mated. Bison which are born earlier in the season are larger and more likely to
be dominant, thus bison pass on dominant traits to their offspring. Dominant hierarchies in
bison herds exist for both males and females... it is likely that this calf will be subordinate.

Bison Juvenile Firehole River 9079

A 300mm telephoto closeup of a juvenile Bison at rest beside the Firehole River in Yellowstone.

Bison calves are born with golden brown fur. Their fur begins to turn brown after 2.5 months.
Occasionally, a rare white bison is born. The White Bison (typically called the White Buffalo) are
considered sacred in several Native American religions, and they are born once in 10 million births.
There has not been a white calf born in Yellowstone in modern times, but several have been born
in other herds around the United States, including 16 born at Spirit Mountain Ranch descended
from a single white female known as Miracle Moon (one calf, an albino, died after two days).

The Banner below leads to the Bison Gallery where images can be selected.

There are over 165 images in the Bison Gallery.

Bison at Sunrise Lava Creek 9872

A male bison at sunrise near Lava Creek east of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park.

Male bison are larger than the females. Males can exceed 2000 pounds, while females
are typically about 1100 pounds. Plains Bison are smaller than the Wood Bison of Canada.

The Yellowstone area is the only place in North America where Bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.
The Yellowstone bison comprise the largest population on public land in the US, and are among the few herds which
have not been crossbred with cattle. In the late 19th century, a group of ranchers gathered together individuals from
the small herds which survived the slaughter in an effort to save the animals from extinction. They crossbred some
bison with cattle, but only the females were fertile and there was no hybrid vigor, so the practice was abandoned.

Bison Grazing Madison Junction 5892

Bison grazing near Madison Junction in central Yellowstone in late April.
Yellowstone bison feed primarily on grasses, sedge and other grass-like plants.

At the end of the slaughter of millions of Bison in the late 19th century, the population in the
lower 48 states was reduced to an estimated low of 50 individuals, of which 23 were a remnant
of the indigenous herd in Pelican Valley in central Yellowstone. In 1902, 18 females were brought
to northern Yellowstone from a ranch in northern Montana and bred to 3 males brought from Texas.
28 bison were moved from Fort Yellowstone to the Lamar Valley and raised at the Buffalo Ranch,
which was established in 1907 to enhance the wild herd. As the semi-domesticated herd at the
Lamar Buffalo Ranch increased in size, bison were released to the open range to interbreed
with the wild herd. Ranching operations continued until 1952, when NPS policies changed.

The two breeding herds in Yellowstone (northern and central) now contain an estimated 4600 individuals.
The northern herd, which ranges from the north entrance at Gardiner Montana through the Blacktail Plateau
and into the Lamar Valley contains approximately 3200 bison, and the central herd has about 1400 bison.

Bison Firehole River 8713

A frontal view of a male bison ambling along the Firehole Riverbank across from
the Excelsior Geyser in the Midway Geyser Basin of central Yellowstone in autumn.

The central Yellowstone herd is descended from the original 23 Plains Bison which
hid out in Pelican Valley north of Yellowstone Lake. These were all that remained of
the estimated 60 million bison that once roamed the Great Plains, which were nearly
exterminated by professional hunters and slaughter sanctioned by the Army to weaken
Native American tribes by reducing their food source and force them onto reservations.

The Pelican Valley herd and 71 Bison from Buffalo Ranch moved to central
Yellowstone in 1936 to form the Mary Mountain herd grew to the point
that by 1954, the central herd had expanded to 1300 individuals.

Bison Lamar Valley 8482

A 500mm telephoto closeup of a male Bison in the autumn grass
near the Lamar River, with defocused cottonwoods in the background.

The Yellowstone bison are the oldest and largest public herd in the United States,
and are considered to be the only genetically pure herd of Plains Bison other than
the Henry Mountains bison herd in Utah (which descended from animals brought
from Yellowstone) and the Wind Cave herd (descended from 14 bison donated
by the New York Zoological Society in 1913 and six from Yellowstone in 1916).

The Wood Buffalo National Park herd in Canada and herds derived from it are
hybrids of Plains Bison and Wood Bison based on recent genetic studies. All
other bison are to some extent hybrids of bison and cattle derived from the
hybridization experiments conducted by owners of the 5 foundation herds
in the late 1800s. Of the 500,000 bison in all public and private herds,
15,000 to 25,000 are estimated to be pure-bred rather than hybrid.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9504

A 420mm telephoto portrait of a male Bison near Nez Perce Creek, previously known as
the East Fork of the Firehole River in the central Geyser Basins of Yellowstone National Park.

The Banner below leads to the Bison Gallery where images can be selected.

There are over 165 images in the Bison Gallery.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9508

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9510

600mm telephoto close-portraits of a male Bison beside Nez Perce Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9515

A 600mm telephoto close-portrait of a male Bison alongside Nez Perce Creek in central Yellowstone.

A band of Nez Perce Indians fled through the park during the 1877 Nez Perce War, and a scouting party led by Yellow Wolf captured a lone prospector named John Shively near what would later be named Nez Perce Creek, forcing him to guide them through Yellowstone. This scouting party captured several other early tourists, but released most of them later without their supplies and horses (this was only 5 years after the formation of the National Park). The main force of Nez Perce later encountered some of these tourists and killed one, wounded another, and continued through the park, pursued by the Army.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9609

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9623

300mm telephoto close-portraits of a male Bison grazing near Nez Perce Creek.

The Nez Perce Indians later encountered another party of tourists and attacked their camp, killing one, wounding and capturing another, and scattering the rest. They then burned Baronett’s Bridge (the first bridge built over the Yellowstone River near the confluence with the East Fork of the Yellowstone, later renamed the Lamar River) and then moved on to the northern entrance where they attacked and burned the Henderson Ranch just north of the park. Just after the burning of the ranch, a force of cavalry engaged the Nez Perce and drove them back into the park, where the Indians killed a tourist who had escaped them earlier.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9626

A 300mm telephoto close-portrait of a male Bison grazing near Nez Perce Creek.

The Nez Perce eventually escaped by crossing the Absaroka Mountains through Clarks Fork Canyon and Dead Indian Gulch, after luring the Army towards the Shoshone River so they could cross the plains safely. They followed the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River north into Montana, where the 7th Cavalry caught up with them two days later at the Battle of Canyon Creek, an indecisive battle near Billings, Montana. The 7th Cavalry is famous for Custer’s Last Stand at the Battle of The Little Bighorn in 1876. The group of Nez Perce under Chief Joseph were finally forced to surrender three weeks later at the Battle of Bear Paw in northern Montana, just south of the Canadian Border.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9629

A 300mm telephoto close-portrait of a male Bison near Nez Perce Creek.

During the Arnold Hague Geological Surveys of Yellowstone in 1885, several features of the park
were named after events of 1877 when the Nez Perce entered the park during the Nez Perce War.

These include Nez Perce Creek, where John Shively was captured, and Nez Perce Ford, where
Chief Joseph crossed the Yellowstone River, along with Joseph Peak and Cowan Creek, which
was named after George Cowan, a tourist who was shot in the head near the mouth of the creek.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9634

A 300mm telephoto close-portrait of a male Bison grazing near Nez Perce Creek.

Bison Nez Perce Creek 9653

A male Bison at Nez Perce Creek, taken at a classic angle at 300mm.

Note the characteristic rounded hump over the shoulders. These large shoulder and neck
muscles allow the bison to swing its massive head back and forth to clear snow while foraging.

The Banner below leads to the Bison Gallery where images can be selected.

There are over 165 images in the Bison Gallery.

Bison Roadblock Gibbon River 5786

A group of Bison travels down the Grand Loop Road in late April, alongside the Gibbon River in Yellowstone.

Bison Roadblock Gibbon River 5796

Bison in the Road Gibbon River 5797

Passing the Bison using the shoulder. The closeup (above right) shows the bison in the center of the left image.

Bison Roadblock Gibbon River 5807

A group of Bison observing the rules of the road, keeping to the right of the double yellow line
while traveling down the Grand Loop Road near the Gibbon River at the end of winter in late April.

The bison in Yellowstone often use the roads to travel, and seem to delight in blocking the cars.
They have been known to bump cars with their hips or head, and sometimes kick or charge into
cars or people who get too close, so be very careful around these 2000 pound animals. Bison
can appear docile but they are wild animals and can run at 35 mph, easily outrunning humans.

Bison Lamar Valley 6004

Bison Lamar Valley 6006

300mm telephoto close-portraits of a young male bison in the Lamar Valley in late April.

Note that the young male is in the process of molting his heavy winter coat as spring approaches.

Bison Lamar Valley 6015

A 200mm telephoto close-portrait of a young male bison in the Lamar Valley in late April.

Bison Roadblock Lamar Valley 6005c

A male Bison gestures with his head in warning as he blocks the road in Lamar Valley.

Buffalo Jams are quite common in Yellowstone, and bison can sometimes be very territorial
when holding onto a good spot in the middle of the road. Approaching them on foot can often
be quite dangerous. The bison will first move its head to one side in warning. If you ignore him,
he will then snort, throw his head about back and forth, and stamp the ground. His next action if
he is still ignored will be to charge. If a car tries to move past or honks its horn, he may charge
the car or kick it as it passes. It is usually best to keep your distance and wait the bison out.

Bison Roadblock Lamar Valley 6008

A 300mm telephoto closeup of male bison blocking the Grand Loop Road in the Lamar Valley in late April.

Bison Roadblock Hayden Valley 0524

A female bison stands on a skidmark behind a juvenile in the Hayden Valley of central Yellowstone.

Bison Roadblock at Sunrise North Entrance 0278

A male Bison blocks a car at sunrise in autumn, near the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

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There are over 165 images in the Bison Gallery.

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