In this video clip, the white and gray wolf moves around low brush. Its fur blends right in with the landscape, which is made of mostly grass and small shrubs. This makes Yellowstone one of the best places for gray wolves like this one. There are an estimated 100 gray wolves living in Yellowstone. Visitors can spot them all through the park, especially in the Northern Range. While this area makes up a small part of the park, around 10% of the overall square footage, it is rich in wildlife. Many of the carnivores that live in the park include gray wolves, bears, and bison. It has been called the “best place for wildlife watching in the lower 48 states.”
Having a Tasty Lunch
This wolf jumps over and around small boulders, eventually making it a piece of meat. It drags the carcass a few feet, pulling meat off the rib bones for its lunch. It is unclear what animal it is, although it is quite large. The wolf uses its powerful jaws and sharp teeth to tear the meat away. Gray wolves are one of the apex predators in this area, along with bears. This means that they are at the top of the food chain. Gray wolves weren’t always plentiful in the park, however. They were reintroduced intentionally in 1995. It is still legal to hunt gray wolves in some surrounding areas, although not in the park itself. This results in fluctuating population numbers, although researchers track their movements as best they can to learn more about these animals. Eventually, the wolf decides it has had enough and leaves the rest of the bones, mostly picked clean, for another animal. It walks to the top of the ridge. The video ends with a shot of the wolf, now full and content, sitting in its natural environment letting the slight breeze ruffle its fur.
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