Happy National Bison Day! Our national mammal is a shaggy symbol of strength and resilience. Their thick coats and powerful necks allow them to bulldoze their way through deep snow and find food even in the dead of winter. Social animals, they gather in large herds – their collective grunting and breathing make quite a noise. Adult males can weigh over a ton while still being able to run 35 miles an hour and jump 6 feet in the air. Most impressive. Photo of a bison at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming by Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.

Found gracefully floating in warm, shallow, slow-moving waterways– like those at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in Florida– is the majestic manatee. And since today is Manatee Appreciation Day, we want to take a moment to appreciate their lifestyle. Never leaving the water, manatees spend most of their time eating, resting and swimming around. They love a healthy seagrass bed or anywhere that promises flourishing freshwater vegetation and will eat 10-15% of their body weight in a single day! The manatee serves as an excellent guide for how to take it slow and go with the flow. Photo courtesy of David Schrichte. 

Happy International Cat Day! Here’s a pawtrait of a bobcat kitten at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Bobcats, though elusive and nocturnal, are the wildcats most likely to be seen in North America. They get their name from their short, black-tipped tail, which appears to be cut or “bobbed.” They roam throughout the continent and thrive in a diversity of habitats – from forests and swamps to deserts and mountains. Give yourself purrmission to learn about them and other awesome wildcats on public lands:  http://ow.ly/IfxO30pjtnk Photo by Eric Hope, National Park Service

In Native American legends, raccoons are often known as tricksters and mischief-makers. Highly intelligent and resourceful, raccoons are one of the most widespread mammals in North America. They have adapted to live in forests, mountainous areas, coastal marshes and even urban centers. This one was spotted hanging out at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Bill Buchanan, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Literal #ThrowbackThursday! While energetically wrestling, these prairie dogs at Badlands National Park in South Dakota resemble fierce ninjas. Photographer John LaMere captured this action shot shortly after one prairie dog pushed the other hard enough to catch air. Fun fact about these social animals? A prairie dog family unit, known as a coterie, works together cooperatively by raising young, building expansive burrows, grooming, playing and defending their territory. Carry on, ninja prairie dogs. Photo by John LaMere (www.sharetheexperience.org).