It’s an animal-eat-animal world out there, especially in Yellowstone National Park. There are almost 70 different mammal species in Yellowstone, and most of those can be separated into two categories: predators and prey. That eternal battle between those that don’t want to be eaten and those that like to eat is on full display in the video below.
Male bison can weigh upwards of 2,000 pounds and stand as tall as five to six feet, so they should be pretty menacing to potential predators. They also have the tools to be deadly themselves, with their horns being more than capable of goring another animal to death, or in some rare cases, pinning a Yellowstone National Park tourist to the ground.
That being said, bison are often singled out by predators like bears and wolves because they aren’t the fastest animals roaming the Earth… and they’re a little top heavy. If a wolf – or wolf pack – can get one good bump on the bison, that’s all it might take to give the smaller animal the leverage they need to turn a live bison into a five-course meal.
Notice that I said wolf pack. Wolves have been known to hunt down bison, but they often need a pack to take down just one of the big beasts. As you might imagine, bison are rather formidable, and can be quite the challenge to bring down.
In fact, smaller predatory animals have the best chance to take down a bison when they can sequester one off on its own. Bison do practice that “herd mentality” that you’ve likely heard of, meaning that they will often stand up for one another in an effort to keep their entire group safe. In other words, they make sure it’s hard for prey to single them out.
However, this bison founds itself running for its life on its own (just behind the rest of the herd) through the snowy landscape of Yellowstone National Park. Allan Hathaway, a wildlife photographer, captured this video below of the Wapiti wolf pack chasing down a lone bison. If there were betting odds, the pack of wolves – who undoubtedly had the numbers – would have been heavy favorites to win this battle of life and death.
But the bison survived against all odds.
Somehow, one bison was able to outsmart over 12 wolves that were attacking all at once. The wildlife photographer confirmed that the big ol’ beast outmaneuvered the attacking wolves, and the pack headed up river after their unsuccessful chase down. The footage of the chase is remarkable to say the least… and I still can’t believe this bison lived to see another day:
“The Wapiti pack on the move. They came up short from this chase and headed up river.”
Pretty amazing video, right?
That footage was taken back in February, and I’d say the deep snow that had fallen on Yellowstone National Park actually helped out the bison. As we get closer and closer to summer in Yellowstone, the advantage might swing back towards the wolf pack. This time though… it was the bison that got the best of the canines in pursuit.
