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While National Park tourists often forget that wildlife routinely hunt and kill other animals to survive, it’s one element that makes wildlife watching in places like Yellowstone National Park so fascinating. Like wild animals everywhere, those critters live and die by the predator-prey relationship — documented in many of the photos below. This collection was taken by National Park Service photographers, who have captured federal public lands and wild critters across the Western U.S.
A pine marten balances on a broken branch. Martens are a member of the weasel family, and primarily hunt and feed on small mammals. Photo by Jacob W. Frank / NPSA bison and its calf run through the sage in the Lamar Valley. Wolves and grizzlies are the two primary predators of bison in the park. NPS / Jacob W. FrankA grizzly wallows in the dirt after feeding on a bull elk carcass. Photo by A. Falgoust / NPSBighorn rams line up on Mount Everts. While lions and wolves will prey on adult sheep, lambs are most susceptible to predators, including large birds of prey like eagles. NPS / Jacob W. FrankAn American kestrel flies off with a small rodent. Photo by Jacob W. Frank / NPSA bobcat caught feeding on a cached mule deer carcass. These wildcats are widespread within the park, but rarely seen. Photo by A. Falgoust / NPSUp close with a griz — an apex predator in the park. Photo by Neal Herbert / NPSA cow elk chases off a coyote from her calf, which is hidden in the brush nearby. Photo by Jacob W. Frank / NPSA massive herd of elk work their way over a pass, reflecting the sheer scale of the landscape, and the wildlife that lives there. Photo by Jacob W. Frank / NPSA hungry griz flips over a bison carcass in the Lamar Valley. Photo by Jim Peaco / NPS
