Bison

Bison are the animals that belong to the genus bison. They belong to the family Bovidae. They are almost always confused with the buffalo species but are much larger and stronger than the buffalo species. Unlike buffalo, they are rarely domesticated. There are two living species of bison found one of them is native to North America and the other is found in Europe. The one that is found in North America is known as buffalo or plains bison buffalo while the second species found in Europe are commonly known as wisent or European bison. This article focuses on the morphological features, taxonomical classification, group behavior and social organization, habitat, diet, and reproduction of the bison.

Morphology of Bison

The bison genus had 8 species of bison out of the 8 species 6 species are considered as extinct species leaving only the two species constituting the complete genus. The two species that make up the genus is are called American Bison and European bison. Although the prior species American bison is commonly termed as buffalo or plain buffalo they are much larger and stronger in comparison to the castle buffalos.

The adult species of bison is considered the largest terrestrial animal of North America and Europe. The characteristic feature of this genus is the presence of a broad skeleton structure. The head skull of these animals is very broad heavy. Due to this large skull structure, the head is always lowered down from the shoulder and is never upright, the upright head is a common feature of the cattle buffalo and oxen while is impossible for either species of bison.

The American bison can grow up to approximately 2 meters which are approximately 6 feet 7 inches in height. The length or the body circumference of an adult American bison is about 3.5 m, which is approximately about 11 ft 6 in length. The European bison or wince can weigh up to 2.1 m, which is approximately 6 ft 11 inches. The body length of the European bison can range up to 2.9 m that is approximately 9 ft 6 inches in length. The adult male of the group can weigh up to 90 kgs while an adult female weighs up to 320 to 350 kgs.

Another characteristic feature is the presence of the pronounced hump on the back of the bison. The Skelton of the bison also has some unique features there are 14 ribs present in the rib cage of a bison, this is intriguing because there are only 13 ribs present in almost all the cattle or wild buffalos. The body of the bison is covered with coarse and shaggy fur. The fur is generally of brown color. The fur has the maximum length towards the head, neck, and shoulders. The fur forms a beard like structure towards the end of the chin. Both the sexes male and female of the genus have horns. The shape of horns slightly differs in both species, the European Bison has a frontal facing horn designed for protection and attack, while the American bison horns are not meant to attack, they are generally seen opting for butting the opponent as a mode of defense.

Taxonomical Classification of the Bison

As mentioned earlier the bison’s genus originally included 8 species ou of which there are only 2 surviving species that constitute the genus. The 6 extinct species include the following, B. antiquus, B. georgicus, B. hanaizumiensis, B. latifrons, B. menneri, B. occidentalis, B.palaeosinensis, B. Priscus, B. schoetensacki. The taxonomical classification gives the understanding of evolution and morphological as well as anatomical adaptation during the course of evolution. The taxonomical classification of the Bison is mentioned below.

Bison are classified under the kingdom Animalia, they are further classified as mammals under the phylum Chordata, the characteristic feature of the phylum was the presence of vertebral column, significantly Bison have 14 rib cages and 15 vertebral column which is more than any cattle or buffalo. They are then classified into class, they belong to class Mammalia because of their ability to give birth to calves. They are then further classified as order Artiodactyla, the characteristic feature is the presence of even toed ungulates. They are then classified into a family called Bovidae, the family constitutes of bison, African buffalo, water buffalo, antelopes, sheep, goats, muskoxen, and domestic cattle. The members of this family are termed as bovid. The family is further classified into genus Bison. The two extant (surviving) species of the genus Bison are, B. bison, the species name of American Bison or plains bison and, B. bonasus, the species name of European bison or wisent.

Types of Bison 

There are two living species of bison they are  B. bonasus, B. bison. The former is the European bison also known as wisent. The  B.bison is the North American bison, they are also known as plains bison or plains buffalo. Another common type of bison is a white bison, although white bison are not a different species they are very rare. It is estimated that 1 in 10 million births a white bison is reproduced. The white bison are actually albino bison, that lack the melanin which gives them their characteristic color. White bison are considered a spiritual animals and are also considered holy, they are worshipped by the native American population.

Habitat of Bison

The B. bison species of the bison are native to North America and are also found in Canada. The B. bonasus species commonly known as wisent is found all over the European continent. Bison are generally found on river banks and valleys. The distribution range of bison includes open grasslands and semiopen grasslands. The other favorable habitat of the animal includes the following, sagebrush, semiarid lands, and scrublands. The grazing area of the animal also includes the hilly regions, where the slopes are not very steep. Examples of some of the countries that home to wild bison of European species include following  Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine.

Diet of Bison

Bison similar to all the members of bovids are herbivores in nature, that is they eat plant and plant based products. Bison are classified as ruminant stomach consisting of animals. Common to all ruminants bison have the ability to ferment plants in the stomach thus making up for the nutrient requirement of the body. It was earlier thought that the bison diet only included grasses and sedges. It was later found that the duet of bison also included woody plants and herbaceous eudicots. The preferred diet of bison is generally of high protein concentration.  Bison are considered as migratory grazers that are they feed on one location only for a particular period of time then again moving to the next site. This pattern has important ecological features, the grazing pattern ensures the restoration of the specious diversity of plants and grasses of that area. Bison have also seen grazing over recently burned land, the reason behind this might be the presence of high quality forage produced after the burning. The common grazing areas include willows, cottonwoods, they also feed on hills that do not have steep slopes.

Reproduction

Since wild bison are classified as a mammal, they reproduce by the method of sexual reproduction. The male member of the species asserts dominance by showing power and physical strength. They then mate with the female of the species. The fertilization process is internal. The embryo undergoes direct development that is there is no metamorphosis. The calves are then reproduced by the female bison at the end of the gestation period, the gestation period in wild bison is about 283 days. 

The adult male members of teh species show rutting behavior. The sexual behavior or rutting is seen highest during the month of august and september. The bison are capable of reproducing throughout the year but they are generally seen to produce one calf in a year. The parental care in the wild bison is very high. The newly born bison are kept in the group and are fed and provided protection. Only after reaching maturity they may leave the group or may live in a periphery of the same group. 

The sexual maturity in the bison’s female member is acheived at the age of three. They can reproduce or fare considered fertile at least to the age of 19. The body weight and mass of female bison play an important role in reproduction. Only if the female is of health condition and weight limit she undergoes fertilization to produce healthy calves. 

There are cases of breeding plains bison with domestic cattle to produce healthy and fertile progeny. This is done mainly to boost the meat industry that is to produce the large scale of beef. In rare cases almost 1 in 0 million albino bison are reproduced, they are known as white bison and are considered as sacred animals by the Native Americans. 

Social Behavior

Wild bison are always found in herds. The center of these herds is often one or more female bison. The major members of the herd are female visions, young calves. Adult male bison are also present in the herds, often during rutting season it is seen that the herd adds new members, these members include new adult bulls (male bison), they often join the herd for reproduction and live in the periphery of the herd to provide protection. 

Another common social behavior seen in wild bison including plains bison and wisent is wallowing. Wallowing can be defined as the process of mud or dirt bath. During this, the body of the animal gets covered in mud or soil, or dust. The animals tend to roll in shallow depressions completely covering their body in the soil. The common explanation of this behavior is that wallowing allows the bison to trap the ectoparasite in mud or soil and onvce the soil dryies, they rub it off and resulting in loss of ectoparasites. Another common explanation is that wallowing is considered as a playful intraction, it helps develop a bond between the bison (plains bison as well as European bison).

The bison buffalo are generally not seen attacking any animal or in that case humans, but their behavior is unpredictable. There are some reported cases of agility among these bison buffalos, even with their heavyweight they run as fast at the speed of 56 km per hour. They use horns as their weapon of attack. Their usual gait is a plodding walk, but they also trot, canter in a stiff-legged manner, or run with a rolling motion. According to the early naturalist, bison are considered as unpredictable animals.

Natural Predators

There are not many natural predators for different types of bison. The main reason behind this can be attributed to the fact that they are huge animals with bodies that can weigh up to 900 kgs. Although they are unpredictable for survival, they can best almost any animal. But there are only some natural predators of the wild bison, examples of such predators are, grey wolves, cougars, grizzly bears, and coyotes. There are some historic records that account that animals like lions, cave lions, tigers, dire wolves (extinct), Smilodon (extinct), Homotherium (extinct), cave hyena (extinct), posed threats to bison.

Human Impact

Humans have always interrupted the natural habitat and life cycle of the wild bison or plains bison. There are accounts for hunting the wild bison for fur and meat by the Native American tribes, but there was no major effect on the population of the wild bison. The Native American and bison had a very sacred relationship as documented in various sources, one of the important examples of such documentation is seen in the biography of  Lakota teacher and elder John Fire Lame Deer.

 Human interaction and poaching increased with the modern age, leading to a severe decline in the population of bison. The animals were hunted and killed mainly due to their meat and fur. The bison were categorized as an endangered species due to continuous and reckless hunting of the species by humans.

In the early 2000s, there was a rise in popularity of the bison beef leading to the rise of interbreeding the bison buffalo to produce hybrids called beefalo. 

Conclusion

Bison are wild animals that primarily belong to North America and Europe, there are two types of bison, the one native to America known as plains bison and the other found in Europe known as wisent. Wild bison are large animals they can weigh up to 900 kg and the height of the animal is about 6 feet. A rare type of vision is White bison, they are albino bison and are found 1 in 10 million. White bison are considered sacred by Native Americans and are worshipped. There are only a few natural predators of the wild bison, one of the major predators is the grey wolf. Bison are generally found in herds and are considered as unpredictable animals. They are also categorized as endangered species, the main reason behind this is increased human hunting for beef and fur.