Facts about Bison
Bison are attracted to prairie dog towns by the large mounds of dirt removed from the tunnels, which the bison use to roll in.
Many of these professional hunters, such as Buffalo Bill Cody (who later advocated for protection of the bison) killed over a hundred animals at a single stand and many thousands in their career.
American bison, which live mainly in grasslands, are grazers, while European bison, living mainly in forests, are browsers.
Bison skins were used for industrial machine belts, clothing such as robes, and rugs.
The European bison was also hunted almost to extinction, with wisents limited to fewer than 50 individuals by 1927, when they were only found in zoos.
The head and forequarters of bison are especially massive with a large hump on the shoulders.
The numbers are uncertain because the tests so far used mitochondrial DNA analysis, and thus would miss cattle genes inherited in the male line; most of the hybrids look exactly like purebred bison.
Bison are "polygynous": dominant bulls maintain a small harem of females for mating.
The introduction of the horse to North America in the 1500s made hunting bison easier.
Bison mature in about two years and have an average life span of about twenty years.
The American Bison (Bison bison) is the largest terrestrial mammal in North America.
Prairie dogs eat the same grass as the bison and live in large groups in underground tunnels called "towns."
Bison meat has grown in popularity, partly because of its lower fat and higher iron and vitamin B12 content compared to beef (NBA 2006).
The wood bison, a subspecies of the American bison, had been reduced to about 250 animals by 1900, but has now recovered to about 9,000, living mainly in northwest Canada.
Bison are subject to various parasites, among them the winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, a single one of which can reduce a calf's growth by 1.5 lbs (.7 kg) due to the blood it takes.
The bison’s droppings and urine fertilize the soil, returning needed nitrogen (Lott 2002).
In both North America and Europe, wolves, Canis lupus, are (or were) the most serious predator of bison (besides humans).
Bison are often called buffalo in North America, but this is technically incorrect since true buffalo are native only to Asia (water buffalo) and Africa (African buffalo).
Male bison fight with each other over the right to mate with females.
Many American towns, sports teams, and other organizations use the bison as a symbol, often under the name buffalo.
Bison are very closely related to true buffalo, as well as cattle, yaks, and other members of the subfamily Bovinae, or bovines.
Bison are members of the genus Bison of the Bovid family of the even-toed ungulates, or hoofed mammals.
Recent genetic studies of privately owned herds of bison show that many of them include animals with genes from domestic cattle; there are as few as 12,000 to 15,000 pure bison in the world.
The American bison was reduced from herds of about 30 million in the 1500s to about 1,000 individuals, and the wisent was reduced to fewer than 50 animals, all in zoos.
One animal that has a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship with the American bison is the black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus, a small rodent.
Bison were once very numerous in North America and Europe, but overhunting resulted in their near extinction.
Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair.
The bison benefit the prairie dogs by eating the tall grass and fertilizing the soil, both of which promote the growth of the more nutritious, short grass (Lott 2002).
The male bison's greater size, larger horns, and thicker covering of hair on the head and front of the body benefit them in these struggles.
A female bison can have a calf every year, with mating taking place in summer and birth in spring, when conditions are best for the young animal.
Bison are among the largest hoofed mammals, standing 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 feet) at the shoulder and weighing 350 to 1000 kg (800 to 2,200 lbs).
Bison were once very plentiful and an important prey for human hunters from prehistoric times.
The wisent or European bison (Bison bonasus) is the heaviest land animal in Europe.
Bison ranching continues to expand yearly, with bison raised for meat and hides.
The National Bison Association lists over 150 traditional Native American uses for bison products, besides food (NBA 2006).
Some lead compounds, because of their sweetness, were once used by candy makers.
Bison are often called buffalo in North America, but this is technically incorrect since true buffalo are native only to Asia (water buffalo) and Africa (African buffalo).
Wyoming State Flag. A bison on a blue field bordered in white and red. The state seal branded on the bison. The woman represents the state motto "Equal Rights" and the two men represent cattle ranchers and miners.
The flag of the state of Wyoming consists of the silhouette of an American bison. The red symbolizes the Native Americans and the blood of pioneers who gave their lives. The white is a symbol of purity and uprightness.