I recently spent time in Yellowstone National Park and enjoyed seeing a lot of animals that don’t live in my home state of North Carolina. One morning just after sunrise we were driving towards Hayden Valley and saw some people stopped along the road, which at that point was right beside the Madison River, where multiple people were fishing. (Brrr! At 8 degrees seems like they would freeze to death in mere minutes, standing in that frigid water!) As we got out, a man told us excitedly that they’d seen a wolf in the grass on the other side of the river and that now he was asleep in the grass, hidden from view. Before he even finished his sentence I was running for my camera and tripod!
The grasses were painted with frost and wisps of fog hovered in places like plumes of smoke. Snow painted the hillside on the steep bank across the river. With all but the skin on my face covered, I still shivered as I stood on the bank, watching, freezing, waiting for this mystery mammal to show its face. Was there really a wolf on the other side? Had he somehow managed to walk away unnoticed?
As the sun rose higher, bathing the frozen grasses in light, we waited, scanning with our binoculars.
Eventually, the mammal did stand up and we watched in our cameras. Other people joined us, also watching the mammal in the frozen grass. He sat down, looked around, stretched, walked a few steps. Settled down again.
People present called it a wolf. A coyote. And a fox.
You look and decide. Which do you think it is? All three live in Yellowstone National Park.
And one more, this, a closeup so you can really see it clearly:
Click here to see if you are correct! And don’t forget, I’m doing another drawing to give a free prize. All you have to do to qualify is use the comment box below the post to give your guess.
Have a great weekend. See you again soon.
I think it’s a coyote
Wolf?
Coyote
So while people are still guessing, I won’t weigh in. But thanks for reading and for taking the time to guess! So far two people vote coyote, one vote for wolf… stay tuned!
I have a book on the wolves of Yellowstone and they look more rounded than the one in your pictures. I do hope you saw a wolf though.
Hey Claire, the wolves of Yellowstone are a fascinating subject! I have read a lot about them and went there hoping to see them. We were not disappointed! In our time there we got to see wolves, coyotes and red fox. I will write in detail when I answer the puzzler this weekend. Thanks for writing! Hope your day is going well!
I know the answer after watching it but a big clue was that it was alone.
Coyote 🙂