As you mark World Wildlife Day on March 3 — whether by working for conservation of wildlife or supporting groups that do — take a look at some diverse animals in their U.S. habitats in winter. Savor these snowy scenes as the Northern Hemisphere looks forward to spring.
Bison
Bison and elk share winter ranges in the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, Wyoming. (© National Geographic/Charlie Hamilton James)
Red fox
A red fox pounces on a rodent that has burrowed under the snow. (© National Geographic/Robbie George)
Female cardinal
A female northern cardinal forages for food in the Patapsco River valley in Maryland. (© National Geographic/George Grall)
Elk and coyote
In the winter, mice live in a snow-covered world of tunnels along the surface of the ground where it is relatively warm. When elk and bison feed, they paw away the snow to expose grass and other food, and they inadvertently expose the mice pathways to predators. The coyote at right is checking the disturbed snow for mice as the elk move away. (© National Geographic/Tom Murphy)
Gray wolf
Covered with snowflakes, this gray wolf rests in deep snow in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. (© National Geographic/Jim and Jamie Dutcher)
Trumpeter swan
A trumpeter swan glides across a calm river in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. (© National Geographic/James P. Blair)
Bald eagles
Each year, bald eagles gather on the Kachemak Bay, which is on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. (© National Geographic/Don Pitcher/Alaska Stock)
Harbor seals
A large group of harbor seals rests on icebergs floating below the massive blue face of the Dawes Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord near Juneau, Alaska. (© National Geographic/Jonathan Kingston)
Cougar
A remote camera captures a cougar on a rock outcrop in Wyoming’s Gros Ventre Wilderness area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. (© National Geographic/Steve Winter)
Snow geese
Snow geese flock together at their wintering grounds in Skagit County in western Washington state. (© National Geographic/Vickie Anderson)
Snowy owl
A snowy owl perches on a fence and scans Maine’s winter landscape. (© National Geographic/Robbie George)
White-tailed deer
In central Nebraska, a hidden camera catches this image of a white-tailed deer. (© National Geographic/Michael Forsberg)
