“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.
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)
- Discovery’s Megalodon “documentary” was completely fake too
- Rubbing Vicks on your feet doesn’t work any better than rubbing it anywhere else
- And no, hotel keys don’t store all your personal information either
