hello everyone! hope you're doing well? today we are exploring one of my
favorite places on earth :Yosemite Valley. Found in California's Sierra Nevada
mountain range, Yosemite boasts beautiful waterfalls, amazing rock formations and
of course giant sequoias. America's third National Park was officially founded on
October 1st 1890. It is estimated that over 3 million guests return to
Yosemite each year to be surrounded by natural beauty. And while it is fun to go
hiking and explore the natural beauty that lies within Yosemite, there are
plenty of hidden animals that you might not know exist within the National Park.
Here are three that you need to know! As their name suggests the Sierra Nevada
bighorn sheep is endemic to the Sierra Nevada mountain range found within
California and Nevada. They are perfectly adapted for alpine life, however they
weren't prepared for diseases contracted from domestic sheep and unregulated
hunting. These two factors nearly brought them to extinction. In fact Yosemite
Valley lost all of their Sierra Nevada bighorn -- within the first 25
years of the parks existence! In the late 1990s there was only 125
Bighorns still alive in the Sierras with 20 of those in the Yosemite herd. Luckily
nowadays thanks to conservation efforts there are over 600 Bighorns roaming the
Sierras today. Including if you're lucky enough to see them in Yosemite's
Cathedral range. We've met a bighorn sheep but now it's
time to meet the little guy. This is the valley elderberry longhorn beetle.
Quite impressive isn't it? Their long antennae
are often more than two-thirds of their own body's length and their name also
suggests their favorite food. That's right elderberry and they're not picky
either! It can be either red or blue elderberry and they're always found
close to their host plant usually along rivers and streams. Females lay their
eggs on the bark of the elderberry plant the larvae then hatch and burrow into
the stems. When they crawl out they leave exit holes,which scientists use to
monitor the population. While their range spans California's Central Valley they
are subject to habitat loss and they are considered a threatened species. But if
you make it to Yosemite , you'll know what plant to find them on!
Last but certainly not least, we have the Yosemite toad. They are quite a charismatic species well-known
for their call. In fact, their Latin name, Bufo canorus, translates to tuneful toad.
And as their name suggests the Yosemite toad is native to the high
elevations of the Sierras. They are endemic to this part of the
world, which means they are found nowhere else on earth! Life in the Sierras is
tough especially for amphibians! They spend half the year in hibernation to
wait out the harsh winters. However it's not the harsh winters that are
decreasing their wild population numbers. It's in fact that snowpack is decreasing
thus breeding pools are drying up before their tadpoles can metamorphose into
adults. Yosemite's' natural beauty is breathtaking but what's even more
impressive is the abundance of unique and endemic animals
found only in this beautiful part of the world check out the links below for more information thanks for watching