Grand Teton National Park is home to an astounding variety of wildlife, but you might want to bring your flashlight as some of the more amazing animals are nocturnal thus are well hidden in the daytime.
The top predators of the Grand Teton Food Chain are the Black and Grizzly bears, which you may see in abundance. It is usually a good idea to keep your distance from these bears as they are unpredictable, especially in the presence of cubs. You may also be provided with a very rare sighting of a mountain lion, an incredibly strong predator which can take down nearly every other animal in the park, with the possible exception of the bears.
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More common cats in the park are the Bobcat and the Lynx which you may see several of. The Canidae family is well represented at Grand Teton by the presence of Coyotes, Gray Wolves and Red Foxes. The wolves are much larger than the other two and hunt in extremely efficient and fearsome packs. The Park is the range of amazing animals such as the Mountain Goat, the Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, White Tailed Deer, Elk and Moose.
You will also see herds of American Bison moving through the meadows and fields, a nostalgic reminiscence of when their sheer number could blacken an entire prairie. On a smaller scale, you will delight to the dexterity of the Park’s Raccoons, and also witness Wolverines, River Otters, Minks, Weasels, Martens and Badgers.
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Watch out for the Striped Skunk as if you get sprayed by one, you’ll be weeks getting rid of the pungent and overwhelming stench. You will also see White Tailed Jackrabbits, Snowshoe Hares, and a great number of tiny rodents such as Chipmunks, Pocket Gophers, Voles, Muskrats, Jumping Mice, Porcupine, Beavers, Woodrats, Squirrels and even the remarkable Northern Flying Squirrel with large membranes which they can use as wings as they soar from tree to tree.
It is very important to keep your distance from any large animal in the Park such as Bison, Elk, Moose or Bears as they are deceptively fast and overwhelmingly powerful, thus they can easily maim or kill a human. Never feed any of the wildlife, even the tiny cute ones. Not only is the disruption to their normal feeding processes undesireable but you might have a very nasty bite to remind you of your actions. With just a few precautions, you can truly enjoy the wildlife of Grand Teton National Park.
