Bison Climbing the Bank of the Lamar River in Yellowstone
National Parks,  Wildlife

Yellowstone Bison Crossing the Lamar River

There are around 4,600 bison in Yellowstone National Park and many of these bison are located in the Lamar Valley.  The Lamar Valley is also known as the Serengeti of North America due to the abundance of wildlife in the valley.  The sequence of photos in this blog post show the Lamar Valley Bison Herd as they crossed the Lamar River.

Bison Crossing the Lamar River Photo Sequence

Part of the beauty of Yellowstone is witnessing the behavior of animals in their natural environment.  This herd of bison appeared to be agitated by a storm approaching the Lamar Valley.

The entire herd crossed the road to the north and then quickly reversed direction to come back across the road.  The herd was running at a quick pace and I needed to retreat behind my car to avoid a confrontation with a mother bison and calf.  Bison can run up to 35 miles per hour.

Bison Herd Crossing the Lamar River, Yellowstone

The herd continued to run down to the Lamar River and the entire herd crossed the river to the south.  It was amazing to see these 2,000 pound animals swim the river and climb the opposite bank.

Yellowstone Bison River Crossing in the Lamar Valley

The bison herd crossed close together, and a couple times the calves got spooked by the proximity of the adult bison.  In the picture below the calf on the opposite bank wasn’t sure which way to go to get out of the way of the adult bison climbing the bank.

Bison crossing the Lamar River Yellowstone

All the adults and calves made it to the other side of the river safely.  It was a treat to observe and photograph the behavior of the bison on this stormy afternoon in Yellowstone National Park.

Written by Martin Belan

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