Grizzly Stares Down Plane While Guarding Dead Bison

September 10, 2012

Animal Photo of the Year entry. (Click to enlarge.)

Bum bum…

…bum bum bum bum…

Vreep! Vreep!

Yellowstone National Park wolf project leader Doug Smith snapped this photo last Friday, while tracking some of the park’s wolf packs from the air.

Smith spotted a dead bull bison in the park’s Hayden Valley, an apparent victim of a nasty encounter with another bull bison during the herd’s annual rut. As you can see, a very large grizzly bear has claimed the bison carcass as his own.

And:

What you can’t see, according to Smith, is the Canyon wolf pack lurking some 50 yards behind the grizzly, patiently waiting its turn on the carcass.

Yellowstone. What a place.

• More photos by Yellowstone wolf biologist Doug Smith here.

• PBS has a bio on him here.

• Smith talking about the wolves on a YouTube video here.

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UJBR Bonus: We’ve got a long article on the fascinating evolutionary history of bears – and the rundown on the eight species that remain today – in Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader NATURE CALLS. You’ll go wild for it. (That was uncalled for. We’re sorry.)