A video shared online shows a herd of bison thundering past tourists and shaking a bridge at Yellowstone. "They're shaking the whole bridge," one of the individuals inside the vehicle is heard saying.
"The whole bridge is jumping," another person said. The footage appears to have been captured by a person traveling in the opposite direction of a Mazda SUV that stopped close to two large bison before one of the mammals charges toward and strikes the vehicle's hood head-on.
"Along comes another bison from the valley, up to the road, much closer to car," the YouTube caption stated. "The larger bison then decides to walk over to the smaller (yet still large) bison. That's when this happened. Just think if he really put all his force into the ram."
The YouTuber wrote that "luckily no one was hurt" during the incident, "not even the bison."
Bison have been busy of late in Yellowstone, as The Rut is in full force for their species. This “mating season on steroids” sees hormones fly and bull bison chasing down cows for pro-creation. Bulls are exceptionally aggressive during this time period, which explains the amount of car-headbutting and grunting that’s been going on in America’s first national park this month.
The Rut winds down for bison as September comes to a close. Then, it’s time for a leisurely fall before the winter migration kicks in. Come migration, bison travel a greater distance than any other ungulates in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Gigantic herds some hundreds strong will travel up to 70 miles between their summer and winter ranges. In total, bison can travel 1,000 miles throughout the year as they leave and return to the same areas. And it’s all guided by instinct.
When the migration kicks in, the result is astounding, and very much like what we’re seeing in the September 23 footage above. It’s a sight unlike any other if you manage to witness it in Yellowstone National Park.
"The whole bridge is jumping," another person said. The footage appears to have been captured by a person traveling in the opposite direction of a Mazda SUV that stopped close to two large bison before one of the mammals charges toward and strikes the vehicle's hood head-on.
"Along comes another bison from the valley, up to the road, much closer to car," the YouTube caption stated. "The larger bison then decides to walk over to the smaller (yet still large) bison. That's when this happened. Just think if he really put all his force into the ram."
The YouTuber wrote that "luckily no one was hurt" during the incident, "not even the bison."
Bison have been busy of late in Yellowstone, as The Rut is in full force for their species. This “mating season on steroids” sees hormones fly and bull bison chasing down cows for pro-creation. Bulls are exceptionally aggressive during this time period, which explains the amount of car-headbutting and grunting that’s been going on in America’s first national park this month.
The Rut winds down for bison as September comes to a close. Then, it’s time for a leisurely fall before the winter migration kicks in. Come migration, bison travel a greater distance than any other ungulates in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
When the migration kicks in, the result is astounding, and very much like what we’re seeing in the September 23 footage above. It’s a sight unlike any other if you manage to witness it in Yellowstone National Park.
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