Migration routes of elk in Yellowstone National Park
Skinner MP. 1925. Migration routes of elk in Yellowstone National Park. Journal of Mammalogy. 6(3):184-192
Since the Yellowstone elk originally spent the winter in the foothills and on the plains, and the summer in the mountains, their instinct to migrate is old and long established. Because all the lower land is now occupied by ranches and crossed by ranch fences the elk can no longer leave the mountains and descend to the plains as they formerly did, but within the Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding national forests and game reserves they still make regular migrations from the snowy higher ranges to the comparatively snow-free northern section of the park and to the lowest valleys of all the reservations. Each spring they return again to the mountains, mostly inside the Yellowstone Park.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Skinner, Milton
- Units
- YELL
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Distribution, Mammals, Migration
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals