{"id":8771,"date":"2016-05-10T08:14:58","date_gmt":"2016-05-10T08:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revoscience.com\/en\/?p=8771"},"modified":"2016-05-10T08:27:34","modified_gmt":"2016-05-10T08:27:34","slug":"facts-about-the-american-bison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/facts-about-the-american-bison\/","title":{"rendered":"Facts About The American Bison"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bison<\/a>
Bison herd on the move. Photo by Neal Herbert, National Park Service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In prehistoric times, millions of bison roamed North America —\u00a0<\/span>from the forests of Alaska and the grasslands of Mexico to Nevada\u2019s Great Basin and the eastern Appalachian Mountains<\/span><\/a>. But by the late 1800s, there were only a few hundred bison left in the United States after European settlers pushed west, reducing the animal\u2019s habitat and hunting the bison to near extinction. Had it not been for a few private individuals working with tribes, states and the Interior Department, the bison would be extinct today.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Exploring facts about the American bison:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bison<\/a>
Bison at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado. Photo by Jim Carr, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Bison are the largest mammal in North America.<\/strong>\u00a0Male bison (called bulls) weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females (called cows) weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet.\u00a0<\/span>Bison calves weigh 30-70 pounds at birth<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Since the late 19th century, Interior has been the primary national conservation steward of the bison.\u00a0<\/strong>Public lands managed by Interior support 17 bison herds — or approximately 10,000 bison — in 12 states,\u00a0<\/span>including Alaska<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. What\u2019s the difference between bison and buffalo?<\/strong>\u00a0While bison and buffalo are used interchangeably, in North America the scientific name is bison. Actually, it\u2019s Bison bison bison (<\/span>genus: Bison, species: bison, subspecies: bison<\/span><\/a>), but only saying it once is fine.\u00a0<\/span>Historians believe that the term \u201cbuffalo\u201d grew from the French word for beef, \u201cboeuf.\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

4.Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the U.S. where bison have continuously lived since prehistoric times.<\/strong>What makes Yellowstone\u2019s bison so special is that they\u2019re the\u00a0<\/span>pure descendants (free of cattle genes) of early bison<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that roamed our country\u2019s grasslands. As of July 2015, Yellowstone\u2019s bison population was estimated at 4,900 — making it the largest bison population on public lands.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A bison stands alone in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Photo by Brad Starry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. What\u2019s a \u201cred dog\u201d?<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s a baby bison. Bison calves tend to be\u00a0<\/span>born from late March through May<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and are\u00a0<\/span>orange-red in color<\/span><\/a>, earning them the nickname \u201cred dogs.\u201d After a few months, their hair starts to change to dark brown and their characteristic shoulder hump and horns begin to grow.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6. The history of bison and Native Americans are intertwined.<\/strong>\u00a0Bison have been integral to tribal culture, providing them with food, clothing, fuel, tools, shelter and spiritual value. Established in 1992, the\u00a0<\/span>Inter Tribal Buffalo Council<\/span><\/a>\u00a0works with the National Park Service to transfer bison\u00a0from national park lands to tribal lands.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

7. You can judge a bison\u2019s mood by its tail.\u00a0<\/strong>When it hangs down and switches naturally, the bison is usually calm.<\/span>\u00a0If the tail is standing straight up, watch out!\u00a0<\/span><\/a>It may be ready to charge. No matter what a bison\u2019s tail is doing, remember that they are unpredictable and can charge at any moment. Every year, there are regrettable accidents caused by people getting too close to these massive animals. It\u2019s great to love the bison, but love them from a distance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8. Wind Cave National Park\u2019s herd helped revive bison populations around the country.<\/strong>\u00a0The story starts in 1905 with the formation of the American Bison Society and a breeding program at the New York City Zoo (today, the Bronx Zoo). By 1913, the American Bison Society had enough bison to restore a free-ranging bison herd. Working with Interior, they\u00a0<\/span>donated 14 bison to Wind Cave National Park<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in South Dakota. More than 100 years later, the bison from Wind Cave have helped<\/span>reestablishing other herds across the United States and most recently in Mexico<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A bison and calf at Rocky Mountain Aresenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado. Photo by Rich Keen, DPRA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Bison may be big, but they\u2019re also fast.<\/strong>\u00a0They can run up to 35 miles per hour.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Plus, they\u2019re extremely agile. Bison can spin around quickly, jump high fences and are strong swimmers.<\/span><\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Pass the salad, please.<\/strong>\u00a0Bison primarily eat grasses, weeds and leafy plants —\u00a0<\/span>typically foraging for 9-11 hours a day<\/span><\/a>. That\u2019s where the bison\u2019s large protruding shoulder hump comes in handy during the winter. It allows them to swing their heads from side-to-side to clear snow — especially for creating foraging patches.\u00a0<\/span>Learn how bison’s feeding habits can help ensure diversity of prairie plant species especially after a fire<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

11. From hunter to conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt helped save bison from extinction.<\/strong>\u00a0In 1883, Teddy Roosevelt traveled to the\u00a0<\/span>Dakota Territory to hunt bison<\/span><\/a>. After spending a few years in the west, Roosevelt returned to New York with a new outlook on life. He paved the way for the conservation movement, and in 1905, formed the\u00a0<\/span>American Bison Society<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with William Hornaday to save the disappearing bison. Today bison live in all 50 states, including Native American lands, wildlife refuges, national parks and private lands.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bison<\/a>
Bison in the snow at Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Neal Herbert, National Park Service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

12. Bison can live up to 20 years old.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>The average lifespan for a bison is 10-20 years<\/span><\/a>, but some live to be older. Cows begin breeding at the age of 2 and only have one baby at a time. For males, the prime breeding age is 6-10 years.\u00a0<\/span>Learn how Interior works to ensure genetic diversity and long-term viability of bison<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

13. A little dirt won\u2019t hurt.<\/strong>\u00a0Called\u00a0<\/span>wallowing<\/span><\/a>, bison roll in the dirt to deter biting flies and help shed fur. Male bison also wallow during mating season to leave behind their scent and display their strength.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

14.\u00a0The American bison\u2019s ancestors can be traced to southern Asia thousands of years ago.<\/strong>\u00a0Bison made their way to America by crossing the ancient land bridge that once connected Asia with North America during the Pliocene Epoch, some 400,000 years ago. These ancient animals were much larger than the iconic bison we love today.\u00a0<\/span>Fossil records show that one prehistoric bison, Bison latiforns, had horns measuring 9 feet from tip to tip<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

15. Bison are nearsighted — who knew?<\/strong>\u00a0While bison have poor eyesight, they have excellent senses of smell and hearing. Cows and calves communicate using pig-like grunts, and during mating season,\u00a0<\/span>bulls can be heard bellowing<\/span><\/a>\u00a0across long distances.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Source: dog.gov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bison made their way to America by crossing the ancient land bridge that once connected Asia with North America during the Pliocene Epoch, some 400,000 years ago. These ancient animals were much larger than the iconic bison we love today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosity"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",1200,566,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2-300x141.jpg",300,141,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",750,354,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2-1024x482.jpg",750,353,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",1200,566,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",1200,566,false],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",1200,566,false],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",870,410,false],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",600,283,false],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",600,283,false],"newspaper-x-single-post":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",760,358,false],"newspaper-x-recent-post-big":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",550,259,false],"newspaper-x-recent-post-list-image":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",95,45,false],"web-stories-poster-portrait":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",640,302,false],"web-stories-publisher-logo":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",96,45,false],"web-stories-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bisonyellowstonenpsphotonealherbert2.jpg",150,71,false]},"author_info":{"info":["Amrita Tuladhar"]},"category_info":"Curiosity<\/a>","tag_info":"Curiosity","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revoscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}