How many wolves live in Yellowstone?

As of January 2023, there are at least 108 wolves in the park. Ten packs were noted. Wolves in Yellowstone sit at the core of a larger population connected throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In general, wolf numbers have fluctuated between 83 and 123 wolves since 2009.



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By 1926, the last wolf pack had been killed in Yellowstone by park employees as part of the policy of the time to eliminate all predators. They were mythologized as a danger to humans, a menace to the ranchers settling the west and competition for big-game hunters.

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Approximately 150–200 with home ranges wholly or partially in the park. As of 2021, 1,063 estimated in greater Yellowstone.

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About 800 moose inhabit the southern part of Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park and surrounding national forests. This largest member of the deer family loves cold weather and frequents marshy meadows and edges of lakes and streams.

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Yellowstone provides summer range for an estimated 10,000–20,000 elk (Cervus canadensis) from six to seven herds, most of which winter at lower elevations outside the park. These herds provide visitor enjoyment as well as revenue to local economies through hunting outside the park.

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26–36 inches tall at the shoulder, four to six feet long from nose to tail tip. Males weigh 100–130 pounds, females weigh 80–110 pounds. Home range within the park is 185–310 square miles (300– 500 km2); varies with pack size, food availability, and season. Average lifespan in the park is four to five years.

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Because of this, they estimate that there are 30-45 cougars living in Yellowstone at any given time, across a number of ages and genders. It is especially interesting to note that the longer a cougar lives in Yellowstone, the more authority it has within the species.

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There are an estimated 500-600 black bears inhabiting Yellowstone National Park. Black bears are not all black; their coats can be cinnamon, blonde, brown or black. Brown -colored black bears are sometimes mistaken for grizzlies.

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Presently, the estimated grizzly bear count in the greater Yellowstone area exceeds 1,000, with 150 to 200 of these bears residing partially within the park's boundaries. These bears occupy a range spanning around 22,500 square miles.

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American bison
  • Bison are the largest grazing mammals in Yellowstone National Park. ...
  • Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states where a population of wild American bison has persisted since prehistoric times, although fewer than 50 native bison remained there in 1902.


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Winter Studies Thirty-three (75%) of the ungulates were killed by wolves, including 22 elk, four bison, three deer, two moose, one pronghorn, and one unknown species.

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