Bison

This is an article about an animal. For other uses, see Bison (disambiguation).

Bison
American Bison (Bison bison)
Wisent (Bison bonasus)
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Bovinae
Genus:	Bison Hamilton Smith, 1827
Species:	Bison bonasus
Species
†B. antiquus B. bison B. bonasus †B. latifrons †B. occidentalis †B. priscus

Bison is a taxonomic group containing six species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Only two of these species still exist: the American bison (B. bison) and the European bison, or wisent (B. bonasus), each with two subspecies.

Name

In American Western culture, the bison is commonly referred to as "buffalo"; however, this is a misnomer: though both bison and buffalo belong to the Bovidae family, the term "buffalo" properly applies only to the Asian water buffalo and African buffalo. The gaur, a large, thick-coated ox found in Asia, is also known as the "Indian bison", although it is in the genus Bos and thus not a true bison.

Description

The American and European bison are the largest terrestrial mammals in North America and Europe. Bison are nomadic grazers and travel in herds, except for the non-dominant bulls, which travel alone or in small groups during most of the year. American bison are known for living in the Great Plains. Both species were hunted close to extinction during the 19th and 20th centuries but have since rebounded, although the European bison is still endangered.

Unlike the Asian water buffalo, bison have never really been domesticated, although the American bison is kept on some farms.

Bison live to be about 20 years old and are born without their trademark "hump" or horns. With the development of their horns, they become mature at two to three years of age, although the males continue to grow slowly to about age seven.

Adult bulls express a high degree of dominance competitiveness during mating season. Male buffalo fight for female buffalo. These fights often result in injury or, in severe fights, death. After the bisons mate, the herd splits up into smaller herds. Calves are born nine months after mating. The mothers take care and nurse the buffalo for a year

Bison are up to 11.5 feet (3.5m) in length, up to 6.5 feet (2m) in height and up to one ton in weight.

First Nations, Explorers, and Buffalo

The Native Peoples of North America who lived on the plains relied on buffalo for their food supply. The Native Peoples of the plains also made a lot of their tools using buffalo and met many physical needs due to them. Buffalo were plentiful before the 1600's until the European Explorers came to North America.

There became less widespread because the Europeans destroyed their habitat and slaughtered them as well as of many other animals. Some bison were killed for the enjoyment of watching them suffer. Others were had their habitats cleared in order to build railroads. The Natives also hunted out a lot of them for their food supply, tools, and physical needs. Eventually, there were only 541 bison alive in the world but today, their numbers are high once again.

Diet

Buffalo have a fairly simple diet. They interact with their environment a lot like many other animals. Therefore, the bison main food is grass. Bison also eat the low lying shrubbery that is available. In the winter, bison forage in the snow looking for grass. If there is little grass available, bison have to resort to eating the twigs of the shrubs and plants.

See also

• Bovid hybrids
• American Bison
• Plains Bison
• Wood Bison
• Ancient Bison
• Water Buffalo
• African Buffalo

Gallery

• 
  Herd of bison grazing in Elk Island National Park, Alberta, Canada
• 
  Bison feeding - Alberta
• 
  Bison in winter, Alberta