Bison Herd Shows Off Hops As They Jump Fence In Grand Teton National Park

Big bison can jump.

If you weren’t aware of the athleticism that bison possess, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what plays out in this video out of Grand Teton National Park. It’s pretty much common knowledge that the beast known as the bison is built for the outdoors, but what many might not know is that they’ve got an impressive vertical.

Bison are the largest mammals in North America. Fully grown male bison stand at 6 feet tall (their probably actually 5’11 and are just rounding up) and can weigh around 2,000 pounds at their heaviest, which if you don’t know, is a full ton. That’s a lot of weight to get moving, let alone to get airborne.

Most of the bison in this herd didn’t have a problem getting up and over a fence though.

With the Teton Mountain Range (part of the Rocky Mountains) framing the entire shot, these bison were on the move with an obstacle in their way. It appears that there’s 20 to 25 bison in this herd, and though they are spread out, they’d come back together quickly if they felt threatened. There might not be another creature in the animal kingdom that better exhibits “herd mentality.” Time and time again, we’ve seen bison use the strength in numbers strategy when predators attack.

But the bison in this video below weren’t in any trouble… they just needed to leap over a fence to keep things moving. And fortunately for them, they have a vertical that maxes out around six feet. So though this fencing was definitely a hinderance, it basically just acted as a hurdle for most of the herd.

That being said, there are plenty of bison that smacked their hooves on the wooden fence (might as well have been a high jump bar). T. Lyn Neufeld, the wildlife photographer that captured this video, pointed out the “clanking” noise that can be heard as the bison somewhat clear the fence:

“The sounds of their hooves hitting the rails as they jump…bison are more athletic than one would think!”

They certainly are.

The momentum of the group’s run certainly seemed to be helping the bison make it over. It’s fascinating to see their large bodies soaring through the air, with the fronts of the bison clearing it first, allowing for their behinds to flip up and over the wooden structure. I’ve got to apologize to bison… I wasn’t familiar with their leaping game.

Check it out:

Breaks my heart that we don’t get to see how that video ends… that little bison calf wasn’t so sure about “sending it” over the fence.

There were a number of calves in the herd that had no problem at all vaulting the obstacle. But that last one wasn’t so sure, and came to a halt right before it needed to bounce up in the air. If I had to guess, it eventually made it over – or under – and the herd kept things moving. Give that bison a couple more years and it’ll be clearing that fence without a problem at all.The post Bison Herd Shows Off Hops As They Jump Fence In Grand Teton National Park first appeared on Whiskey Riff.