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Wind Cave National Park
Bison (Buffalo)
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| NPS Photo by Pete Bromley |
Bison (Buffalo) - Bison bison
Click picture for more information |
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Class
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Mammalia |
| Order |
Artiodactyla (same as deer, sheep, pronghorn) |
| Family |
Bovidae (true horns, not branched, on both sexes, cattle, sheep, goat, musk ox) |
| Genus |
Bison |
| Species |
bison |
| Subspecies |
athabascae (woods)
bison (plains) |
Name/
History |
Late 1800s bison almost became extinct. They were saved by the American Bison Society. Often called buffalo by early scientists who thought they were related to the Africa/Asian water buffaloes. French explorers also called the animals "les boeff" - the cattle. |
Size
Weight (lbs) |
Male
2000
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Female
1000
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Calf
30-70
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| Height (ft) |
5.5-6
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4.5-5.5
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2.5 |
| Rut |
June-September (one bull forms a temporary "tending bond" with one cow at a time). |
| Gestation |
9.5 months |
| Birth |
April -June (reddish, brown fur, no conspicuous hump). |
| # young |
Usually 1. |
| Age |
12-15 years |
Habitat/
Range |
At one time bison roamed North America from Alaska to northern Mexico, western California to western New York.
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| Food |
Grasses, browse |
| Enemies |
Occasionally grizzly, humans, extinct prairie wolf. |
| Disease |
Brucellosis, tuberculosis |
| Communication |
Grunts/snorts between cow-calf, roar by bulls during rut
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Behavior/
Characteristics |
Generally cow/calves in herd together, bulls alone or in small bull herd except during the rut.
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Did You Know?
Fire is an important factor in protecting the prairie. Historically, fires burned across the prairie every 4 to 7 years. Fires burn the small trees that would otherwise march across the prairie and turn the grasslands to forest.
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Last Updated: August 16, 2007 at 19:31 EST |
