Things might be heating up elsewhere in the country, but winter isn’t ready to let go just yet in Yellowstone National Park.
The peak of winter in the world famous national park typically plays out in January. It’s during that time that Yellowstone experiences brutally cold temperatures with average lows right around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously, that usually translates into any precipitation that hits the area being snow, and makes for a tough test for any animal that’s not hibernating during that time.
For the most part, it was a mild winter in Yellowstone National Park this past year. Temperatures didn’t dip down as low as they normally do, so the animals that call the park home didn’t have it too bad. However, this video that was taken by a wildlife photographer in the area just yesterday showcases that winter isn’t done just yet in Yellowstone.
A news release from Yellowstone National Park shared that parts of the property received over 12 inches of wet snow in the past couple of days, which resulted in many roads being forced to close (or open later) as temperatures dipped and visibility was rather low. Thanks to releases like that, humans know to avoid certain areas if they can. But for the animals that call Yellowstone home… they just have to live through it.
Most of the bison in this video that was captured by Cindy Shaffer were probably hoping that the worst of the snow and wintry weather was behind them. You see, as bison head into the winter season, their coat thickens up to counter the frigid temperatures and blankets of snow that often fall in their North Americans habitats. Those wooly coats play an intricate role in keeping them warm through the winter, and create such a layer of insulation that snow that lands on their coat will not melt from the heat the bison’s skin gives off.
Bison pair their thickening coats (and skin) with their ability to derive sufficient nutrients from very small amounts of food, which is usually vegetation that peeks through the snow. All of these qualities allow for bison to survive the toughest of winter conditions, so don’t worry or feel bad for this herd of bison traversing through Yellowstone National Park. Typically, they are doing just fine.
That being said, these bison likely started thinning out their coats around March. That’s just their natural process (thicken up before winter, thin out as it warms up). So though bison are built to withstand some of the harshest weather that could ever be thrown at them, it’s possible that this herd was at least a little bit chilly… just because of the time of the year that this snow storm hit.
Fortunately, it looks like they were doing okay, and this spurt of winter weather shouldn’t last long. It’ll remain cold for another day or so, and then it’s set to get up close to 60 degrees in Yellowstone National Park over this weekend. The bison just have to hold out a little bit longer for some sunshine. Until then, they’ll be frolicking in the snow like they are in these videos:
