A video released Friday captured the moment a bison calf was nearly brought down by wolves in Yellowstone National Park.
Shot by wildlife photographer and guide Michael Sypniewski, the video starts with a copper-colored calf standing seemingly alone in a field. According to Sypniewski, the calf was sleeping on the outskirts of its herd.
Soon, a wolf appears behind the calf and resumes an earlier attack that had originally been shielded from camera view.
Two wolves attack a baby bison in Yellowstone National Park.
As a third wolf runs toward the animals, two adult bison run toward the calf to protect it, appearing to nearly trample it in the process. They position themselves on each side of the calf, shielding it from the nearby wolves.
Wolves, along with grizzly bears, are the only large predators of adult bison, the NPS added.
Bison are the largest land mammal in North America, according to the NPS. Males typically weigh up to 2,000 lbs and stand six feet tall, while females weigh up to 1,100 lbs and stand four to five feet tall. At birth, baby bison weigh 30 to 70 lbs.
The NPS said bison make up between 7-14% of the wolves’ diet during the spring and summer, respectively.