yellowstone ecosystem
DESCRIPTION
By Andy Marble. Yellowstone Ecosystem. 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 Geography Facts. Geysers are not biological. Cool as they are…. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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