American Bison on Antelope Island, Salt Lake City

Ok, so this one isn't very exotic, but if you look at my photos you will know that I love close-ups. With modern camera lenses you can do these with even huge, dangerous animals like this one. What, you don't think bison are dangerous? Actually they kill more humans than bears (Black and Grizzly), wolves, and cougars together. The problem is that they look so peaceful just standing there, but they are very sensitive to their "safety distance" (many wild animals have these - they seem relaxed and unconcerned as you approach until you reach a certain distance, different in all species, at which point they can become very aggresive). We took this photo from a car, but saw many tourists in Yellowstone getting out of their cars and walking towrads bison! Don't do this at home! But they are marvelous beasts - and when you see them in the wild they look very much like something from the Pleistocene era. By the way, if you love large animals (and heh, is there someone here who doesn't?) and you should find yourself in Salt Lake City - be sure to get a few hours free and go to Antelope Island not far from the city center - you can get great views of bison, pronghorn, and even bighorn sheep without the long drive to Yellowstone!