Bison
Bison Temporal range: Pleistocene – present
Early | |
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American bison (Bison bison) | |
European bison (Bison bonasus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Bovidae |
Subfamily: | Bovinae |
Subtribe: | Bovina |
Genus: | Bison Hamilton Smith, 1827 |
Type species | |
Bison bison | |
Species | |
| |
IUCN range of the two American bison subspecies.
Plains bison (Bison bison subsp. bison)
Wood bison (Bison bison subsp. athabascae)
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IUCN range of the European bison.
European bison (Bison bonasus)
|
A bison (pl.: bison) is a large
Of the two surviving species, the
While bison species have been traditionally classified in their own
Description
The American bison and the European bison (wisent) are the largest surviving terrestrial animals in North America and Europe. They are typical artiodactyl (cloven hooved) ungulates, and are similar in appearance to other bovines such as cattle and true buffalo. They are broad and muscular with shaggy coats of long hair. Adults grow up to 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches) in height and 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) in length for American bison[4][5] and up to 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) in height[6] and 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) in length for European bison.[7] American bison can weigh from around 400 to 1,270 kilograms (880 to 2,800 pounds)[5][8] and European bison can weigh from 800 to 1,000 kg (1,800 to 2,200 lb).[7] European bison tend to be taller than American bison.
Bison are nomadic grazers and travel in herds. The bulls leave the herds of females at two or three years of age, and join a herd of males, which usually are smaller than female herds. Mature bulls rarely travel alone. Towards the end of the summer, for the reproductive season, the sexes necessarily commingle.[9]
American bison are known for living in the
Although superficially similar, physical and behavioural differences exist between the American and European bison. The American species has 15 ribs, while the European bison has 14. The American bison has four lumbar vertebrae, while the European has five.[14] (The difference in this case is that what would be the first lumbar vertebra has ribs attached to it in American bison and is thus counted as the 15th thoracic vertebra, compared to 14 thoracic vertebrae in wisent.) Adult American bison are less slim in build and have shorter legs.[15] American bison tend to graze more, and browse less than their European relatives. Their anatomies reflect this behavioural difference; the American bison's head hangs lower than the European's. The body of the American bison is typically hairier, though its tail has less hair than that of the European bison. The horns of the European bison point through the plane of their faces, making them more adept at fighting through the interlocking of horns in the same manner as domestic cattle, unlike the American bison, which favours butting.[16] American bison are more easily tamed than their European cousins, and breed with domestic cattle more readily.[17]
Evolution and genetic history
The bovine tribe (Bovini) split about 5 to 10 million years ago into the buffalos (
The
During the population bottleneck caused by the great slaughter of American bison during the 19th century, the number of bison remaining alive in North America declined to as low as 541. During that period, a handful of ranchers gathered remnants of the existing herds to save the species from extinction. These ranchers bred some of the bison with cattle in an effort to produce "cattleo"
There are also remnant purebred American bison herds on public lands in North America. Two subspecies of bison exist in North America: the plains bison and the wood bison.[29] Herds of importance are found in Yellowstone National Park, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota, Elk Island National Park in Alberta, and Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. In 2015, a purebred herd of 350 individuals was identified on public lands in the Henry Mountains of southern Utah via genetic testing of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA.[30] This study, published in 2015, also showed the Henry Mountains bison herd to be free of brucellosis, a bacterial disease that was imported with non-native domestic cattle to North America.[31]
In 2021, the American Society of Mammalogists considered Bison to be a subgenus, and placed both bison species back into Bos.[32][failed verification]
Relationships of bovines based on nuclear DNA, after Sinding, et al. 2021.[33]
Bubalina (true buffalo) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bos |
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Behavior
Bison temperament is often unpredictable. They usually appear peaceful, unconcerned, or even lazy, but they may attack without warning or apparent reason. They can move at speeds up to 56 km/h (35 mph) and cover long distances at a lumbering gallop.[36]
Their most obvious weapons are the horns borne by both males and females, but their massive heads can be used as battering rams, effectively using the momentum produced by what is a typical weight of 900 to 1,200 kilograms (2,000 to 2,700 lb) moving at 50 km/h (30 mph). The hind legs can also be used to kill or maim with devastating effect. In the words of early naturalists, they were dangerous, savage animals that feared no other animal and in prime condition could best any foe except for a brown bear or a pack of wolves.[36][9][37]
The rutting, or mating, season lasts from June through September, with peak activity in July and August. At this time, the older bulls rejoin the herd, and fights often take place between bulls. The herd exhibits much restlessness during breeding season. The animals are belligerent, unpredictable, and most dangerous.[36]
Habitat
European bison most commonly live in lightly wooded to fully wooded areas as well as areas with increased shrubs and bushes. European bison can sometimes be found living on grasslands and plains as well.[38][39]
Restrictions
Throughout most of their historical range, landowners have sought restrictions on free-ranging bison. Herds on private land are required to be fenced in.[40]
In the state of Montana, free-ranging bison on public land are legally shot, due to transmission of disease to cattle and damage to public property.[41]
In 2013, Montana legislative measures concerning the bison were proposed and passed, but opposed by Native American tribes as they impinged on sovereign tribal rights. Three such bills were vetoed by Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana. The bison's circumstances remain an issue of contention between Native American tribes and private landowners.[42]
Diet
Bison are ruminants, able to ferment cellulose in a specialized stomach prior to digestion. Bison were once thought to almost exclusively consume grasses and sedges, but are now known to consume a wide-variety of plants including woody plants and herbaceous eudicots.[43][44] Over the course of the year, bison shift which plants they select in their diet based on which plants have the highest protein or energy concentrations at a given time and will reliably consume the same species of plants across years.[43] Protein concentrations of the plants they eat tend to be highest in the spring and decline thereafter, reaching their lowest in the winter.[43] In Yellowstone National Park, bison browsed willows and cottonwoods, not only in the winter when few other plants are available, but also in the summer.[45] Bison are thought to migrate to optimize their diet,[46] and will concentrate their feeding on recently burned areas due to the higher quality forage that regrows after the burn.[47] Wisent tend to browse on shrubs and low-hanging trees more often than do the American bison, which prefer grass to shrubbery and trees.[48]
Reproduction
Female bison ("cows") typically reproduce after three years of age[49] and can continue beyond 19 years of age.[50] Cows produce calves annually as long as their nutrition is sufficient, but not after years when weight gain is low. Reproduction is dependent on a cow's mass and age.[50] Heavier cows produce heavier calves (weighed in the fall at weaning), and weights of calves are lower for older cows (after age 8).[50]
Predators
Owing to their size, bison have few predators. Five exceptions are
Infections and illness
For American bison, a main illness is
The major illnesses in European bison are
Name
Although called "buffalo" in American English, they are only distantly related to two "true buffalo", the Asian water buffalo and the African buffalo. Samuel de Champlain applied the French term buffle to the bison in 1616 (published 1619), after seeing skins and a drawing shown to him by members of the Nipissing First Nation, who said they travelled 40 days (from east of Lake Huron) to trade with another nation who hunted the animals.[56] Though "bison" might be considered more scientifically correct, "buffalo" is also considered correct as a result of standard usage in American English, and is listed in many dictionaries as an acceptable name for American buffalo or bison. "Buffalo" has a much longer history than "bison", which was first recorded in 1774.[57]
Human impact
Bison was a significant resource for indigenous peoples of North America for food and raw materials until near extinction in the late 19th century. For the indigenous peoples of the Plains, it was their principal food source.[58] Native Americans highly valued their relationship with the bison and saw them as sacred, treating them respectfully to ensure their abundance and longevity. In his biography, Lakota teacher and elder John Fire Lame Deer describes the relationship as such:[59]
The buffalo gave us everything we needed. Without it we were nothing. Our tipis were made of his skin. His hide was our bed, our blanket, our winter coat. It was our drum, throbbing through the night, alive, holy. Out of his skin we made our water bags. His flesh strengthened us, became flesh of our flesh. Not the smallest part of it was wasted. His stomach, a red-hot stone dropped into it, became our soup kettle. His horns were our spoons, the bones our knives, our women's awls and needles. Out of his sinews we made our bowstrings and thread. His ribs were fashioned into sleds for our children, his hoofs became rattles. His mighty skull, with the pipe leaning against it, was our sacred altar. The name of the greatest of all Sioux was Tatanka Iyotake—Sitting Bull. When you killed off the buffalo you also killed the Indian—the real, natural, "wild" Indian.
European colonials were almost exclusively accountable for the near-extinction of the American bison in the 1800s. At the beginning of the century, tens of millions of bison roamed North America. Colonists slaughtered an estimated 50 million bison during the 19th century, although the causes of decline and the numbers killed are disputed and debated.[60][61] Railroads were advertising "hunting by rail", where trains encountered large herds alongside or crossing the tracks. Men aboard fired from the train's roof or windows, leaving countless animals to rot where they died.[62] This overhunting was in part motivated by the U.S. government's desire to limit the range and power of indigenous plains Indians whose diets and cultures depended on the buffalo herds.[63] The overhunting of the bison reduced their population to hundreds.[64]
The American bison's nadir came in 1889, with an estimated population of only 1,091 animals (both wild and captive).
As of July 2015, an estimated 4,900 bison lived in Yellowstone National Park, the largest U.S. bison population on public land.[67] During 1983–1985 visitors experienced 33 bison-related injuries (range = 10–13/year), so the park implemented education campaigns. After years of success, five injuries associated with bison encounters occurred in 2015, because visitors did not maintain the required distance of 75 ft (23 m) from bison while hiking or taking pictures.[68]
Nutrition
Bison is an excellent source of complete protein and a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of multiple vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, and is also a rich source of minerals, including iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Additionally, bison is a good source (10% or more of the DV) of thiamine.
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
---|---|
Energy | 180 kcal (750 kJ) |
0.00 g | |
Sugars | 0 g |
Dietary fiber | 0 g |
8.62 g | |
Saturated | 3.489 g |
Monounsaturated | 3.293g |
Polyunsaturated | 0.402 g |
25.45 g | |
Niacin (B3) | 37% 5.966 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 24% 0.401 mg |
Folate (B9) | 4% 16 μg |
Vitamin B12 | 102% 2.44 μg |
Vitamin D | 0% 0 IU |
Vitamin E | 1% 0.20 mg |
Vitamin K | 1% 1.3 μg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 1% 14 mg |
Iron | 18% 3.19 mg |
Magnesium | 5% 23 mg |
Phosphorus | 17% 213 mg |
Potassium | 12% 353 mg |
Sodium | 3% 76 mg |
Zinc | 49% 5.34 mg |
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[69] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[70] |
Livestock
The earliest plausible accounts of captive bison are those of the zoo at
In America, the commercial industry for bison has been slow to develop despite individuals, such as Ted Turner, who have long marketed bison meat.[76] In the 1990s, Turner found limited success with restaurants for high-quality cuts of meat, which include bison steaks and tenderloin.[77] Lower-quality cuts suitable for hamburger and hot dogs have been described as "almost nonexistent".[77] This created a marketing problem for commercial farming because the majority of usable meat, about 400 pounds for each bison, is suitable for these products.[77] In 2003, the United States Department of Agriculture purchased $10 million worth of frozen overstock to save the industry, which would later recover through better use of consumer marketing.[78] Restaurants have played a role in popularizing bison meat, like Ted's Montana Grill, which added bison to their menus.[76] Ruby Tuesday first offered bison on their menus in 2005.[78]
In Canada, commercial bison farming began in the mid-1980s, concerning an unknown number of animals then.[75] The first census of the bison occurred in 1996, which recorded 45,235 bison on 745 farms, and grew to 195,728 bison on 1,898 farms for the 2006 census.[75]
Several pet food companies use bison as a red meat alternative in dog foods. The companies producing these formulas include Natural Balance Pet Foods, Freshpet, the Blue Buffalo Company, Solid Gold, Canidae, and Taste of the Wild (made by Diamond Pet Foods, Inc., owned by Schell and Kampeter, Inc.).[79]
See also
- Bison hunting
- Gaur
- National Bison Day (1 November in the United States)
- Yellowstone Park bison herd
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