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No. Bison Leaving Yellowstone National Park Doesn’t Mean a Volcano Is About To Erupt

They're just hungry, Internet. Relax.

“American Bison” is the top trending topic on my Facebook feed right now. I wondered why, so I clicked to find post after post from local news affiliates and pseudoscientific Facebook Pages sharing this video of bison “fleeing” Yellowstone National Park with warnings of an impending super volcano. The real reason is a lot simpler.

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The bison and other animals are leaving the park for lower elevations where food is easier to find. They do this every winter. Don’t believe me? Just ask Yellowstone Park Public Affairs Chief Al Nash:

Yellowstone is a literal hotbed of geologic activity. Could a volcano erupt? Sure. Does one video you saw on Facebook mean a volcano is going to erupt? Of course not. Check your facts before you repost, kids. You’ll look a lot smarter that way.

(via Boing Boing, image via Yellowstone NPS)

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Glen Tickle
Glen is a comedian, writer, husband, and father. He won his third-grade science fair and is a former preschool science teacher, which is a real job.

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