In a video filmed about a year ago, we get a chance to see two of nature’s powerhouse animals in a duel to the death. The fighters? A fully grown grizzly bear and a juvenile American bison. As we are about to see, the duel is a lot more evenly matched than you might expect it to be! Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the United States and is situated in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The park spans 3,468 square miles and is home to the highest elevation lake in the United States and the largest supervolcano on the continent. It’s safe to say that everything in Yellowstone is big or record-setting! As seen in the video, two of the largest animals that can be found in the park are the grizzly bear and the American bison. The grizzly bear is the largest predator in the park, with adult males regularly growing between 400 and 800 lbs. While grizzlies are big, they aren’t the largest animals in the park. That honor belongs to the American bison. The bison is the largest terrestrial animal in North America by weight (only the moose is taller), with adults regularly growing between 700 and 2,600 lbs. The video of the battle begins while a family is recording a clip of a juvenile bison grazing with its family. Suddenly, a bear bursts from the side and jumps on the bison’s back. Generally, an adult grizzly wouldn’t be able to take down a healthy adult bison alone. As the video shows, the grizzly was quite smart in choosing a smaller, weaker member of the herd. Still, it’s going to be quite a fight! Leaping on the bison’s back, the bear begins to slash and bite at the young animal. From the outset, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a tough battle for the bear. Still, the bison isn’t going down, despite the hundreds of pounds of bear on its back! At one point, the bison breaks free of the bear and even tries to charge it over and over. In retreat, the bear backs up and patiently waits for the bison to turn away. It doesn’t have to wait long. With a quick video cut, the bear is back on top of the small bison and tearing away at the exposed back muscles. Incredibly, the bison makes a final effort to free itself from the bear and walks into the nearby river. Soon, the current takes them both, and they drift downstream with the bear still hanging on tight. As they continue to fight in the water, the cameraman films clips of large tufts of fur on the ground from the monumental struggle. Although it isn’t shown in the video, the ultimate winner of the fight turns out to be the region’s apex predator: the brown bear. It was a tough struggle, but it looks like teeth and claws win against weight and determination! Nature is a truly wild place.
