The American bison Bison bison
The American bison, also know as the American buffalo, is closely related to the European bison; these two species can interbreed and produce viable and fertile offspring, which was the reason for some zoologists to consider the American bison and European bison as one species. The American bison is a very large animal; the male body length may exceed 3 meters, shoulder height is up to 2 meters and weight sometimes reaches one tone, with females being much smaller and weighing no more than 500 kg. The newborn calves have light reddish-brown pelage but the coat colour become dark brown by the age of six months; in some cases American bison may have pale patches on their coat, and some bison are albinos. The hair is longer on the front part of the body than on the back. The American bison features shoulder hump, short tail with a thick tuft of hairs, sturdy, strong legs, short neck, and a huge head with broad forehead. The bison’s dark eyes are large. The horns are thick and short (no longer than 60 cm), curving upward and inward and ending in a sharp tip. When threatened, these bison can reach a speed of 60 km per hour, overtaking many horse riders; chased bison often suddenly stop in their run, then turn around and attack their chasers with hollow but very strong horns. This animal is very powerful and dangerous; irritated bison is a real threat to any carnivores or hunters.
Despite once dominating vast plains of the North America, the American bison was virtually exterminated in the wild. In the past, bison were distributed throughout North America but now they only occur to the north and west of the Missouri River. Although current conservation efforts have led to significant increase of numbers, most American bison are captive or live in natural reserves. In summer, they graze on lush plains grasses, moving to the southern woodlands in winter time. Their herds may travel over three kilometers per day in search of food. During winter time, the American bison feed on the sagebrush, lichens, and dry grasses. These ungulates live in small groups and gather in larger herds for the mating season in summer. Each herd is usually led by several old dominant males, who vigilantly guard their heard. Bison’s senses of hearing and smell are excellent and these animals are able to detect a danger when the enemy is far away. Gestation in females lasts nine months or a little more. A single calf weighing about 15 kg is usually born in May.
Two ecotypes of the American bison have been described: the plain bison, the long-time inhabitant of the Great Plains, and the wood bison, the larger of the two and living in the northern regions of the continent, up to Alaska. The American bison was first discovered in the late XIX century. The only free roaming herd of about 500 wood bison lives in the Wood Buffalo Natural Park in Canada. Currently there are approximately 30,000 total American bison in the wild. This species is listed as “near threatened’ in the IUCN List of Threatened Species. Most plain bison originate from a small founder group (around 200 animals), which remained in the Yellowstone Natural Park, and zoo captive stock. Before the arrival of European settlers, huge herds of the bison, numbering 40 to 60 million, occurred in the prairies of the North America. Among Native American tribes, especially the Plains Indians, the Bison was considered a sacred animal and religious symbol. Bison also formed the basis of the economy of a number of groups of Native Americans. The killing of bison increased when Indians acquired horses and guns from the Europeans, but it was not until the arrival of white settlers that the slaughter truly began. The bison was ruthlessly hunted by hunters who were interested only in the valuable hides and left the meat to rot on the plains. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of the American bison dropped to several hundred. It is to note that the decline of native Indians coincided with the decline of bison.
