Stretching across more than 2.2 million acres of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho is one of the greatest expanses of unspoiled nature and wildlife anywhere on Earth — Yellowstone National Park. Designated America’s first national park in 1872, Yellowstone now receives almost three million visitors each year. Yet only a small fraction of those who glimpse the park’s stunning vistas, geological wonders, and animal residents do so during the winter months, a time when nature’s inhospitality is matched only by its serenity.

NATURE follows in the snowy footprints of Yellowstone’s red foxes, spies on the predatory warfare of wolves and elk, and climbs into the den of a grizzly bear that gives birth to two cubs while deep in hibernation. In addition to mesmerizing footage of landscapes and wildlife, trail alongside author and photographer Tom Murphy, who has been coming to Yellowstone for the past 26 winters, camping and photographing amid the silence and solitude of the park. And go behind the scenes with filmmaker Shane Moore to find out how he kept up with Murphy during an at times harrowing trek, reminiscent of the legendary John Colter’s first journey into the park nearly two hundred years ago. Buy the DVD. This film premiered in November 2006.

Photo © Tom Murphy

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) also known as Elk in North America

• Type: Mammal
• Family: Cervidae
• Habitat: Temperate forests, open woodlands, and mountainous areas
• Location: Broad distribution; across Europe, Asia, and into North America
• Diet: Varies by season and what is available; mainly grasses, plants, twigs, and mosses
• Average lifespan in the wild: 8 or 9 years
• Size: 5.25-8.86 ft (1.60-2.70 m)
• Weight: 376-643 lbs (171-292 kg) for females; 392-1095 lbs (178-497 kg) for males

Red deer are social animals that spend most of their lives in male or female herds. The two sexes come together only during the annual mating season. Each spring, young are born. After several weeks of hiding their newborns in the brush, the mothers, called hinds, bring their young back into the female herd. The female herd follows the dominant female, who leads them to seasonal grazing grounds. During the summer, a herd may be composed of as many as 400 individuals.

The antlers of an adult male red deer can grow up to four and a half feet. During the autumn rut, males compete for mating privileges by bashing antlers with the dominant male. In order for a non-dominant male to mate, he must fight, although no challenger will fight unless he thinks he can win. The prize is access to breeding females, and the right of the winner to pass on his genes. In January, after the breeding season has ended, males lose their antlers. They grow back quickly at a rate of nearly one inch per day.

During the harsh winter, the red deer’s metabolism slows in an effort to conserve energy. Red deer have evolved in such a way that the animal can actually significantly slow its heart rate and lower its body temperature, which decreases the amount of energy it expends by nearly 17 percent and helps it to survive in severely cold climates.

Red deer have long been hunted by humans. In fact, red deer meat was found in the belly of a mummified hunter who died in the Alps over 5,000 years ago. Even today, these amazing animals continue to be a popular target for game hunters.

Deforestation and urban expansion pose major threats to red deer, as their breeding and feeding grounds are rapidly being cut off. Man-made roads pose another deadly hazard, though animal friendly “green bridges” are currently being built all over Europe to allow the red deer and other species to travel safely across roads and highways.

Did you know: Ovulating females prefer the vocal calls of larger males, and can detect body size based on the pitch and frequency of a call.

Related Episode:

• Prince of the Alps

Producer: Ronnie Godeanu
Art Director: Sabina Daley
Graphic Art: Lenny Drozner
Writer: Karen de Seve
Technical Director: Brian Patrick Lee
Scientific Consultant: Gianna Savoie

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

© 2001 Thirteen/WNET New York

All Rights Reserved

Television Credits

A Mike Birkhead Associates Production for BBC
A Presentation of Thirteen/WNET New York

Funder Credits

Funding for the TV series NATURE is made possible in part by Park Foundation. Major corporate support is provided by Canon U.S.A., Inc., Ford Motor Company, and TIAA-CREF. Additional support is provided by the nation’s public television stations.

For those interested in the subjects shown on GRAND CANYON, we present the following Web sites. All links are valid as of May 24, 2001.

Grand Canyon @ National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/media/books/grandcanyon/
An interactive map, facts and figures, and canyon-centered books.

Grand Canyon National Park
http://www.thecanyon.com
The area’s official site, with links to the National Park Service, local tour operators, news, and weather.

Grand Canyon Explorer
http://www.kaibab.org/
Huge, varied site with historical, geological, and travel information, photos, and links to other outdoors sites.

DesertUSA
http://www.desertusa.com/
A monthly online magazine about the American Southwest.

ParkNet
http://www.nps.gov
The homepage of the National Park Service, this is a searchable site with news, travel tips, photos, and links to every park in the system.

Print Resources

We recommend the following print articles for those interested in subjects presented on the program.

——–. “A Day in the Life of a Visitor — Year 2003.” UPLIFT AND EROSION, August 1997.

——–. “Human/Wildlife Interactions.” NATURE NOTES, Spring 1995.

Hamblin, W.K., and Laura Hamblin. “Fire and Water.” NATURAL HISTORY, September 1997, 34-41.

Hart, Stephen. “Rafting Through Time.” SCIENCE WORLD, September 2, 1997, 17-19.

Williams, Ted. “Seeking Refuge.” AUDUBON, May 1996, 34-45.

Zwinger, Ann. “A Landscape of Memory.” AUDUBON, May 1996, 30-31.