Yellowstone A Place of Wild Wonders

Yellowstone A Place of Wild Wonders

Introduction Colorful pools and wild animals. Streams of hot water that shoot out of the ground. People can see these things and more at Yellowstone, which became the world's first national park in 1872. National parks are areas of special, protected land.

A Hot Spot Many people who go to Yellowstone want to see Old Faithful geyser. A geyser is a hole in the ground that shoots steam and hot water into the air. Yellowstone has about three hundred of them. Old Faithful shoots water 100 feet (30 m) high about every ninety minutes.

Yellowstone is on top of a hot spot. Heat from Earth's center warms up rocks and rainwater in the ground. Then hot water and steam move up and shoot out of the ground. The hot spot has also made hot pools of smelly mud and many colorful hot springs.

Wildlife Many kinds of animals live in Yellowstone. The biggest animals in Yellowstone are bison. They can weigh up to 2, 000 pounds (907 kg). Bison are hairy animals with a hump on their back. They roll in the dust to fight off flies and to get rid of their old fur.

The next-biggest animals are grizzly bears. They can weigh 800 pounds (363 kg) and are fast for their size. In the winter, grizzly bears sleep in dens under the ground for months.