Ashton Hooker loves the outdoors. She works in the administration offices at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, which is a perfect way to stay in touch with wildlife and the outdoors. It is also an ideal vantage point to observe a group of baby bison taking a nap under the supervision of watchful adults. Shhhhhh… don’t wake the babies.
Videos by InspireMore
While baby bison are especially cute at nap time, we would be remiss if we did not warn you about the volatility of adult bison. They are known by many names, but the most descriptive is “Fluffy Assault Cows.” Yellowstone Park staff constantly warn visitors against getting close to the animals. A bison with a calf is very cool to look at, but please keep your distance.
Bison have calves in the late spring. At birth, they weigh 30 to 40 pounds and can walk within minutes of being born. Calves will nurse for about six months, then wean to eat grass. Once weaned, male calves can be completely independent, although females tend to stay longer. Young bison may remain in their mother’s herd or leave to seek a new herd.
Bison live 12 to 15 years in the wild but may live up to 30 years in captivity. Males can weigh as much as 2,200 pounds, while females are much smaller and weigh up to 1,200 pounds. North American bison are the largest land mammal on the continent.
As a Yellowstone employee, Ashton gets a great view of wildlife, especially on the commute to and from work.
For more great footage of life around Yellowstone, follow Ashton on TikTok. Her videos offer a unique, close-up view of nature that many people never observe.
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