Lunchtime at the top of the food chain
A grizzly follows the scent of a dead bison in Yellowstone.
Yellowstone spring: Part One
On my recent trip to Yellowstone, I came across a newly deceased bison not far from the road in Lamar Valley. It was free of any visible wounds and appeared to have died from natural causes. Not interesting you say? Well, a dead bison may not be exciting to watch — until it becomes a meal for large carnivores.
The waiting game began. Who would get there first? Coyotes? Wolves? A grizzly?
I made several visits to the bison throughout the day, watching and waiting. At last a wolf appeared, headed my way.
“This could be it,” I thought. The wolf crossed the Lamar River, and came ashore not far from the bison carcass. It paused. “It has to see it or smell it,” I said under my breath. The wolf passed by about 50 yards from the bison and disappeared into the hills.
The next morning I arose before dawn and got to the site early. This time it was clear that something had begun feeding on the carcass in the night. What was this carnivore and when would it return?
Shortly after 8 a.m., a grizzly appeared in the distance, approaching from the west. The bear meandered unhurried toward the bison.
Grizzly bears navigate their world with their noses. Their sense of smell is thought to be 100,000 times stronger than that of a human, while their eyesight is assumed to be relatively poor. The bear followed its nose and made a wide pass around the area where the bison laid, never looking directly at it. It crossed the road and circled behind me and then headed back for the carcass, wary of onlookers.
A little whiff of the bouquet before dining.
Grizzly feeds on the bison carcass.
Finally it approached the bison. The grizzly paused briefly, sniffing the big bull. A few more wary glances and it began feeding. After nearly an hour, the bear had its full, and laid down near the carcass for a nap.
But a pleasant snooze was not in store for the grizzly as park rangers moved in to scare off the bear so they could move the bison carcass far from the road and away from potential danger to tourists. The rangers cleared the area of people and the show was over.
Nature is not always a pretty sight, but watching this grizzly was an experience I won’t soon forget. I’ll post more from Yellowstone on my next blog entry.
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