yellowstone ecosystem

YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEMBy Andy Marble

COOL GEOGRAPHY FACTS Yellowstone is located in northwestern

Wyoming and southwestern Montana (for the three of you that didn’t already know that).

Yellowstone contains two thirds of the world’s geysers.

COOL AS THEY ARE… Geysers are not biological.

IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHY FACTS Yellowstone can be divided into two

basic categories- valley and mountain regions.

The valleys range from 6,400 ft. to 7,000 ft. in elevation.

The mountains rise to 10,000 ft.

MAJOR ANIMAL SPECIES Bison Elk Moose Grizzly Bear Wolf

BISON

BISON CHARACTERISTICS Fully grown cows weigh up to 1,000

pounds while fully grown bulls can weigh up to 18,000 pounds.

Stand at an average of six feet high at the shoulders.

Despite their size, bison can move quickly, running up to 40 miles per hour.

DO NOT APPROACH! Bison have passive natures and are

content simply to eat (wouldn’t we all be?)

However, bison can get provoked by people who get too close and seem threatening.

BISON HABITS Bison spend all of

their time in the valley areas.

Graze all year long. Born in the spring.

ELK

ELK CHARACTERISTICS Cows weigh up to 550 pounds and bulls

weigh up to 700 pounds. Bulls have the famous antlers that

sometimes weigh 30 pounds by themselves and average at six to eight points.

Most numerous large mammal in Yellowstone.

ELK HABITS Elk graze in the

mountain regions during spring, summer, and fall.

During the winter they move to the valleys for protection.

Calves born in the spring.

MOOSE

MOOSE CHARACTERISTICS Cows can weigh up to 800 pounds and

bulls can weigh up to 1300 pounds. Famous “blunt noses” Unusual antler type Big and bad

MOOSE HABITS Unlike other large

herbivores, moose are generally solitary creatures.

Exceptions are calves staying with mothers and mating season.

Stick to swampy, wet areas.

Eat trees rather than grasses

GRIZZLY BEAR

GRIZZLY CHARACTERISTICS Males can be 725 pounds while females

are an average of 428 pounds. Hump on the shoulders distinguishes

from black bears. Usually brown

BEAR HABITS Hibernate in the

winter. Prefers the open

meadow areas. Eats nuts, berries,

insects, small rodents, larger animals, roots, ect.

Usually stay away from humans.

WOLF

WOLF CHARACTERISTICS Looks like a big dog (with really sharp

teeth). Gray and black striped pelt. Small compared to grizzlies, bison, elk,

and moose.

WOLF HABITS Roams in packs. Each pack has a

specific area. Better hunting and

protection.

CONCLUSION This is just the tip of the iceberg The Yellowstone ecosystem is very

complex on many levels, and in order to maintain that diversity, human contact needs to be kept to a minimum.

SOURCES http://www.treehugger.com/gray_wolf.jpg http://www.ownbyphotography.com/Bison.jpg http://www.wildnatureimages.com/A%20to%20C3000/BUFFALO-

HERD-YNP..jpg

http://www.elk-pictures.com/elk-call1.jpg http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/Alaska/MOOSE.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_

1BS26hskizY/S5kv0Vh2WsI/AAAAAAAAAAM/pImt7CiRUrc/s320/happy_moose.jpg

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/grizzly-bear.jpg

http://xoy80.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/yellowstone_bear.jpg http://

www.tejamovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Gray-Wolf-2.jpg