Yellowstone - The Breathtaking Beauty of America's First National Park | Free Documentary Nature

with a fire at its heart yellowstone is our first national park a primal fortress that saved the disappearing west [Music] thanks to its fierce wonders more than 3 million visitors a year come to marvel but only a handful venture past the lookouts over that ridge and into the next valley is where the real drama happens old battles new life and unexpected courage if you think you know yellowstone think again you have never experienced it like this [Music] in the shadow of the rockies an ancient drama is about to play out one that nearly disappeared from the face of the earth yellowstone's top predator against the largest mammal in north america once only 23 bison remained here and not a single wolf but now these eternal enemies face off again as they did long before any humans set foot here yellowstone has turned back time it's late winter in america's first national park and the worlds [Music] yellowstone is a melting pot of savage beauty created by one of the biggest explosions ever to rock the earth [Music] and its violent heart still smolders blowing off steam through some 300 geysers more than anywhere else in the world the most famous geyser old faithful hurls hot water 150 feet into the air venting its rage every 60 to 90 minutes that's how long it takes to build up enough pressure to turn groundwater into explosive steam some bison take refuge in the stinking sulfurous heat a last haven for the weak and weary but elsewhere in the park they must face the brutal winter head-on [Music] mothers-to-be struggle terribly trying to find enough food for two in the relentless snow the calf she carries is a reminder of a miraculous comeback if she can hold on through yellowstone's notoriously harsh winter [Music] but spring is late this year temperatures hover well below freezing and the snowpack does not give way the grazing animals must struggle mightily in search of a few blades of grass many elk grow weak as winter drags on but someone else grows strong the wolf thrives in winter highly intelligent and social creatures they often show deep affection for one another their intense family ties also make them a deadly hunting unit once completely exterminated from the park grey wolves were reintroduced in 1995 and have become a vital player in the park's ecosystem eagerly chasing a big bold elk the wolf is in its element in yellowstone [Music] but this bull didn't earn his rack by being anyone's fool he finds refuge in the frigid lamar river where the wolves cannot follow and aims his impressive rack at them [Music] but another dinner awaits as the rest of the pack announces [Music] they've taken a weakened bison during the night and there's more than enough to go around with such a large pack to feed they need to hunt successfully nearly every day [Music] but the winter itself is far more deadly than wolves one out of ten bison will die before the season is done for our mother to be it is a particularly hard time the scarcity of food means many are starving with weary massive heads they plow through four foot drifts in search of anything edible they are the last truly wild bison in the united states some 30 million of them once blanketed the american planes it could take six days for a single herd to pass you by but by 1900 only a heartbreaking two dozen clung to life in the center of the park the last refugees of a century of persecution protected in 1902 they've slowly rebounded to about 5 000 today but in a terrible winter their numbers could crash with the bison carcass picked clean the lamar wolf pack spectacular alpha female is on the lookout for more meat and an elk calf has strayed from its herd [Music] with the power and cunning born of long experience she's like a heat-seeking missile [Music] this is a slippery slope [Music] the death of the elk calf means a reprieve for our pregnant bison but for how long [Music] in winter the alchemy of heat below and cold above makes yellowstone look like a different planet [Music] even at 50 degrees below there's magic in the air [Music] extreme subzero temperatures in a cloud the sky sometimes result in a fascinating phenomenon the formation of delicate ice crystals known as diamond dust some bison have devised a special strategy hot springs give off heat enabling grass to grow a hassle-free spa package at minus 20 degrees fahrenheit but for some animals the seasons are suspended here in winter the most common inhabitants of the hot springs are thriving these ephedrid flies found only at yellowstone lay bright orange eggs by the millions in the steamy nursery winter is in slow retreat in yellowstone's own grand canyon warmer temperatures unleash the frozen lower falls twice the height of niagara and someone else is being unleashed too just out of hibernation a young bear can't resist the aroma of fresh carrion a second grizzly has beaten him to it the carcass of yet another bison that didn't make it through the winter after spending more than four months in their dens they're eager to find some food bears lose up to a third of their body weight during hibernation and they're ravenous something's gotta give grizzlies would rather intimidate than fight there's just too much risk of injury and bear on bear violence standing up to your full height is meant to impress oops [Music] the owner of the carcass decides to show him how it's done but when rituals fail violence is inevitable [Music] hungry bears are violent bears the pair is closely matched and equally desperate for a post-hibernation feast a fight like this is a rare sight in yellowstone with a final slap the newcomer tells his rival to shove off and claims his grisly prize [Music] spring is finally here in earnest [Music] in the valleys warmer days easily shrug off late snows in the park's northeast lies soda butte a limestone mound created by a hot spring a muddy condo complex of sorts is under construction american cliff swallows are busy nesting the mud at the foot of the cone makes a perfect cement bison loved the mud of soda butte too because it's rich with minerals minerals that the pregnant females crave soon the valleys of yellowstone will be full of babies our mother grows restless and nervous with good reason down the valley a pack of wolves has found a stillborn calf but it will only feed one or two of them so the rest have turned on the mother weak from her ordeal she is tough but vulnerable she makes a break for the herd a risky decision [Music] even when she reaches the herd the wolves don't give up bison are most vulnerable to attack from behind [Music] finally they round up creating a shaggy impenetrable fortress on the slopes above our herd is missing someone the mother has slipped off into the brush to give birth this moving and intimate moment has rarely been seen in the national park hmm [Music] [Music] immediately the little one starts squirming free from the amniotic sac he's one of about 700 bison calves that will be born this year [Music] the mother lovingly cleans her calf urging him to his feet he'll need to be able to run with the herd in a matter of hours [Music] [Music] he's up on wobbly legs in minutes adorable and oblivious to the astounding struggle that lies ahead in the higher elevations where the snow still hangs on another predator is staging a comeback it's the notoriously shy cougar one of only about 20 in the park returning to her elk kill these big cats are so elusive even park rangers rarely spot them at one point they were virtually eliminated from yellowstone the ravens should be careful about complaining [Music] cougars can leap 15 feet straight up she's not alone her three-month-old kitten is still nursing but developing a taste for meat at the tender age of six weeks [Music] the ravens a noisy irritant and it could alert rival predators to the kill [Music] but someone's late to dinner [Music] [Music] kittens will be kittens no matter how big [Music] outside the park cougars are still shot by those who think they're a threat to livestock but here the little family is safe often the pines a little red squirrel checks his food stashes now a neighbor decides to strut his stuff the rough grouse lives up to its nickname thunder chicken this remarkable noise called drumming can be heard half a mile away the thrum of the bird's wings beating at up to 20 flaps a second is supposed to be irresistible to the ladies sometimes it just ruffles the feathers of competing males it's enough to drive a hard-working squirrel crazy [Music] yellowstone's part of the rockies used to be on the seafloor the clash of continents has driven them 8 000 feet into the air [Music] but what the earth lifts water slices revealing the yellow rock canyon that gives the park its name the yellowstone river the lifeblood of the park pours into the valleys the herd must move in search of better grazing and our calf is ready to join them just hours after his birth this 40-pound fella can keep up with his 1 000 pound mom he'll follow mom anywhere even if it might be the death of him other creatures have not been so lucky wolves no longer hunt but scavenge at their leisure not far away the pack feasts on still another fallen bison but someone's gotten wind of their bounty a grizzly mother and three big cubs raising triplets in yellowstone is quite the accomplishment even among grizzlies who are notoriously good mothers she's remarkable with so many mouths to feed she has little choice but to take on the pack just when it looks as though there's enough to go around someone else is on the scent a lone male this is bad news male grizzlies sometimes kill cubs [Music] time for him to back off [Music] a male bear a youngster is no match for a riled up mama bear [Music] these wolves are content to wait watch and amuse themselves till the bears have had their fill yellowstone is the only place in the u.s where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times their relentless search for better grazing grounds means crossing rivers like the lamar [Music] crossings are no big deal for the grown-ups but a daunting business for our seven-day-old cat rushing snowmelt makes the lamar treacherous our little guy is understandably dubious but when mother makes her move he has no choice but to follow and almost immediately things start to go wrong the current is just too much [Music] his mother turns back trying to keep him safely upstream of her [Music] but the water is too swift and he is too young she realizes her mistake too late he's at the mercy of the river what happens next will defy belief [Music] a calf swept away by the lamar should have no chance of survival but something remarkable has happened he is washed up onto a little gravel island he's chilled and utterly spent and mother is nowhere in sight as the cold yellowstone night falls all seems lost [Music] daybreak reveals a wolf on a kill in the river but it's an elk not our bison calf [Music] somehow our little one has survived the night but he's still stranded [Music] any hope of rescue seems to be moving on with his herd even his mother seems to have given up [Music] the instinct to stay with the herd is overwhelming [Music] and that's for a good reason predators are never far away such as coyotes [Music] and a lone black wolf [Music] but without his pack he gets no respect three great coyotes have got his number and they tag team the dark wolf mercilessly even the bison sense weakness in their mortal enemy his dignity in tatters the wolf slinks off and the coyotes joyfully rub his nose back down river against all odds the bison calf is holding on but he seems out of options and just when things couldn't get any worse they do a strapping young wolf has spotted him this tiny island offers no escape but apparently our calf is no ordinary calf hopelessly outmatched with a courage of innocence he's not going down without a fight and the inexperienced wolf flails [Music] and then a noise an impossible wonderful noise here comes the cavalry but is it in time with an adult bison charging to the rescue our calf now turns on the wolf the calf seems to wonder could this really be his mother it sure is and the wolf can't believe his eyes famished the plucky little fighter loses no time filling up on his mother's rich milk and this wolf has been thoroughly buffaloed in yellowstone second chances are hard to come by [Music] and it's good to be alive [Music] [Music] so [Music] spring rushes into summer and the park shows off its colors summer is a truly glorious time in yellowstone and a great time to be a river otter or even better a pair of otter brothers to see these guys in summer is a rare treat right now yummy yellowstone cutthroat trout are fighting their way upstream from lakes to spawn more than 3 million yellowstone cutthroat trout used to ply these waters but the illegal introduction of lake trout has decimated the population [Music] a female beats a depression in the gravel stream bed with her tail [Music] then she shudders out her golden eggs for the male to fertilize [Music] otters love fish brother has his lunch the other can't quite reel his in this should be like fish in a barrel finally success back at the soda butte condos consistent mouths gape at every door the cliff swallow parents frantically feed their insatiable offspring who will fly the nest in just three weeks but sometimes mom and dad are so enthusiastic even these chicks can get a little ungrateful the days of summer pass all too quickly here [Music] yellowstone's magnificent landscapes are a study in contrasts this part of the rockies is ancient about 75 million years old but the steaming planes are constantly being reborn thanks to the super volcano simmering below here the guts of the planet are perilously close to the surface [Music] gurgling mud pots and fumaroles like the red spouter in the fountain paint pot give the barest hints of the power beneath but 640 000 years ago it blew up with the force of a thousand atomic bombs and the geysers remind us that it fully intends to blow up again some say it's overdue it's late summer our calves packing on pounds his red coat is turning brown [Music] there's even the tiniest hint of a hump growing on his back [Music] it's a bittersweet time for some our three grizzly cubs have been driven off by their once attentive mother so she can mate again she did her job well though they're fat and strong the lake provides relief from the heat and add some much-needed greens to their diets they fill up on tasty aquatic plants [Music] water fights are good fun and gentle practice for settling scores later on [Music] the triplets will soon go their separate ways to face their first winter alone [Music] at the largest thermal feature in the park things are heating up the grand prismatic spring gets its vivid colors from a rainbow of heat-loving bacteria and the planes nearby are about to host a spectacle the bulls are gathering soon the flats will reverberate with the thunder of hooves and the crack of mighty skulls the rut is about to begin [Music] the bison rut is sheer pandemonium snorting and snuffling bellowing and belching means the air is thick with testosterone there's a good deal of competitive wallowing bathing in dust and rolling in their own urine to intimidate rivals now for the dogged pursuit of the females each day brings more bulls to the valley lured by the scents and sounds of procreation mating is a quick and unromantic business if it takes she'll carry the baby for nine months through the merciless winter ahead tangy hormones drift on the breeze the bull is already checking the next female he savors her readiness with a lip curl but there's trouble on the horizon a one-ton living mountain of muscle and skull and he's ready to rumble [Music] the challenge must be answered [Music] high noon in the yellowstone corral [Music] their massive heads and necks are biologically engineered to absorb enormous impacts [Music] [Music] now there's a new sheriff in town [Music] our calf a tough little survivor is bound to take his place amongst the bulls one day he's already shown enough courage to last a lifetime [Music] the bison rut draws to its end in early autumn [Music] by late september the fall sun sets the tetons blazing [Music] [Music] while the moose fatten up for the winter the elk announced their own rut has come [Music] [Applause] then the place falls silent the bison enjoy a last few moments of peace before the onslaught of winter [Music] now only the volcano below makes itself heard [Music] a reminder of the engine that powers and protects this place and the magnificent creatures we almost lost [Music] in america's oldest national park yellowstone [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 1,175,670

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free Documentary Nature, Nature, Wildlife, Wildlife Documentary, Animals, Animal Documentary, Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful Geyser, Bufallo, American Buffalo, Bison, Bears, Bear Documentary, Yellowstone Wildlife, US National Parks, Grand Prismatic Spring Yellowstone, Yellowstone Documentary, National Park Documentary

Id: TDbtv8ktZ_M

Length: 48min 4sec (2884 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 07 2022