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Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World's First National Park
In 2020, it will have been twenty-five years since one of the greatest wildlife conservation and restoration achievements of the twentieth century took place: the reintroduction of wolves to the world’s first national park, Yellowstone. Eradicated after the park was established, then absent for seventy years, these iconic carnivores returned to Yellowstone in 1995 when the US government reversed its century-old policy of extermination and—despite some political and cultural opposition—began the reintroduction of forty-one wild wolves from Canada and northwest Montana. In the intervening decades, scientists have studied their myriad behaviors, from predation to mating to wolf-pup play, building a one-of-a-kind field study that has both allowed us to witness how the arrival of top predators can change an entire ecosystem and provided a critical window into impacts on prey, pack composition, and much else.
Here, for the first time in a single book, is the incredible story of the wolves’ return to Yellowstone National Park as told by the very people responsible for their reintroduction, study, and management. Anchored in what we have learned from Yellowstone, highlighting the unique blend of research techniques that have given us this knowledge, and addressing the major issues that wolves still face today, this book is as wide-ranging and awe-inspiring as the Yellowstone restoration effort itself. We learn about individual wolves, population dynamics, wolf-prey relationships, genetics, disease, management and policy, newly studied behaviors and interactions with other species, and the rippling ecosystem effects wolves have had on Yellowstone’s wild and rare landscape. Perhaps most importantly of all, the book also offers solutions to ongoing controversies and debates.
Featuring a foreword by Jane Goodall, beautiful images, a companion online documentary by celebrated filmmaker Bob Landis, and contributions from more than seventy wolf and wildlife conservation luminaries from Yellowstone and around the world, Yellowstone Wolves is a gripping, accessible celebration of the extraordinary Yellowstone Wolf Project—and of the park through which these majestic and important creatures once again roam.
Here, for the first time in a single book, is the incredible story of the wolves’ return to Yellowstone National Park as told by the very people responsible for their reintroduction, study, and management. Anchored in what we have learned from Yellowstone, highlighting the unique blend of research techniques that have given us this knowledge, and addressing the major issues that wolves still face today, this book is as wide-ranging and awe-inspiring as the Yellowstone restoration effort itself. We learn about individual wolves, population dynamics, wolf-prey relationships, genetics, disease, management and policy, newly studied behaviors and interactions with other species, and the rippling ecosystem effects wolves have had on Yellowstone’s wild and rare landscape. Perhaps most importantly of all, the book also offers solutions to ongoing controversies and debates.
Featuring a foreword by Jane Goodall, beautiful images, a companion online documentary by celebrated filmmaker Bob Landis, and contributions from more than seventy wolf and wildlife conservation luminaries from Yellowstone and around the world, Yellowstone Wolves is a gripping, accessible celebration of the extraordinary Yellowstone Wolf Project—and of the park through which these majestic and important creatures once again roam.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 7, 2021
Written by the very people who spent 25 years in the field studying these reintroduced wolves, Yellowstone Wolves is a formidable achievement that presents a wide range of scientific topics in a well-organised, readable, and beautifully illustrated book. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021...
July 22, 2023
Everything you ever wanted to know about wolves in Yellowstone.
May 29, 2026
What stayed with me after reading Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World’s First National Park is the sheer scope of expertise brought together to examine one of the most studied wildlife populations in the world.
Rather than focusing solely on wolves as individual animals, the book explores their broader ecological significance, showing how predator populations influence landscapes, prey species, vegetation, and entire ecosystems. That wider perspective is what gives the work much of its value.
What stands out is the collaborative nature of the project. Drawing on the knowledge of dozens of researchers and specialists, the book feels less like a single narrative and more like a comprehensive record of decades of scientific observation, discovery, and debate.
The discussion extends beyond Yellowstone itself, touching on larger questions about conservation, biodiversity, predator-prey relationships, and humanity’s evolving understanding of ecological balance.
Readers interested in wildlife biology, ecology, conservation science, and the history of wolf restoration will find a remarkable depth of information here. Yet beneath the research and data lies a compelling story about how one species can reshape an environment in ways that continue to surprise even experienced scientists.
What lingers is a renewed appreciation for the complexity of natural systems and how much there is still to learn from observing them closely.
Rather than focusing solely on wolves as individual animals, the book explores their broader ecological significance, showing how predator populations influence landscapes, prey species, vegetation, and entire ecosystems. That wider perspective is what gives the work much of its value.
What stands out is the collaborative nature of the project. Drawing on the knowledge of dozens of researchers and specialists, the book feels less like a single narrative and more like a comprehensive record of decades of scientific observation, discovery, and debate.
The discussion extends beyond Yellowstone itself, touching on larger questions about conservation, biodiversity, predator-prey relationships, and humanity’s evolving understanding of ecological balance.
Readers interested in wildlife biology, ecology, conservation science, and the history of wolf restoration will find a remarkable depth of information here. Yet beneath the research and data lies a compelling story about how one species can reshape an environment in ways that continue to surprise even experienced scientists.
What lingers is a renewed appreciation for the complexity of natural systems and how much there is still to learn from observing them closely.
September 13, 2022
Academic-ish. Does have photos.
February 17, 2023
Staggering and breathtaking. I can't begin to comprehend the quality and quantity of work that went into this.
June 4, 2025
This book is good but was spoiled somewhat by the terrible kindle version - missing photos and broken lines with left margins at times. Don't buy the kindle version.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews