Close Encounters of the Dangerous Kind

An abundant number of elk live in and around the boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
While they may be frequently observed in developed areas of the park, they remain 
unpredictable and may charge at nearby people or vehicles. 

Elk, bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorns, and itty-bitty bees all ended up in my camera's viewfinder while traveling across Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas. I enjoy capturing photos of wild animals, but proximity comes with a price. All of the large and charismatic animals I witnessed a couple weeks ago can also become extremely dangerous when approached. Using binoculars and my camera, I zoom in from a distance to avoid an unwanted and unpredictable close encounter. 

Many of the mammals captured on my camera had either antlers or horns. Both are dangerous body parts - though they grow differently and have distinct functions. 

Antlers are specific to members of the deer family. They are made of bone that is part of the skull, growing from their tips. The bone is seasonal, however, with the primary function being to attract females or for quarreling with other male suitors. Bull elks will also charge at vehicles stopping too close, and their antlers can cause significant damage to the body of a car or a person. 

Bighorn sheep have true horns. Males will use their horns to ram into others
during mating season. Females have smaller horns that curve into a sharp point. 

Other animals I witnessed, like bison and bighorn sheep, are members of the bovine family and have horns rather than antlers. Horns are part bone and part keratin, with the bone forming an inner core and the keratin sheath fitting over it. They grow continuously and permanently, and can be wielded against potential threats or members of their own species. 

Unable to clear my car from the roadway before a bison herd encircled us, 
we had a much-too-close view of two adults butting heads in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The Museum retains a skull from an American bison who was humanely euthanized at a bison farm.
A sheath of another bison horn was removed and is currently on display to demonstrate the horn structure. 

I photographed a variety of antlers and horns during my trip and enjoyed sightings of animals who posed much less of an immanent threat than elk or bison (magpies and prairie dogs included). That said, safety in an unfamiliar landscape means understanding the needs and triggers of every animal.