Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about bison. There are two living bison species: the American bison and the European bison. In America these large mammals are sometimes referred to as “buffaloes” but they aren’t closely related to true buffaloes, the cape and water buffalo who live in Africa and Asia, so it’s not really appropriate to call bison buffalo, though it’s not technically considered wrong.

European bison also have the common name wisent - and I’m sorry if I’m butchering that pronunciation. American and European bison are currently classified in the bison genus and are the only two living members of this genus that remain today. Historically, both these bovines have a similar story.

Bison once ranged far and wide in their native homes. American bison could be found from Canada to Mexico and Oregon to New York with their largest populations in the Great Plains. European bison once ranged in all European lowlands from western, central, and southeastern Europe. Today, both these animals have faced massive population declines due to over-hunting and loss of habitat. It’s believed that American bison once numbered in the tens of millions, potentially reaching a peak of 30 million individuals - today there are only 30,000 individuals living in the wild or otherwise a tenth of a percent of their historical population.

European bison actually went extinct in the wild in the early 20th century. Captive individuals have survived to keep them from going completely extinct, but even today their wild numbers are only in the thousands. Thankfully, we still have both these majestic species today as a link to the past of the giant land mammals that once walked our earth.

Bison are the largest living terrestrial mammals in both Europe and America. On average, adult bison bulls can reach 2,000 pounds in weight while cows reach about half this. In general, European and American bison look similar, however European bison are believed to be slightly taller than their American cogenerics. On average, from their feet to their shoulders, bison stand about as tall as the average human. European bison also have longer tails and horns and carry their heads higher than American bison. This has to do with eating.

American bison have a large shoulder hump because it’s full of muscles that allow these animals to plow through snow in the winter to uncover their favorite food: grass. Since grass is closer to the ground, American bison generally hold their heads lower. European bison, however, munch on shrubs and woody plants, so their heads are held higher where these plants grow. Both male and female bison have horns, but females tend to have more curved and slender horns than males.

Male bison will butt heads with one another to show dominance and gain access to females during a time called the rut. We’ve talked about this before in our moose episode. For American bison, the rut occurs from June to September and females remain pregnant for nine and a half months before giving birth to a calf who is able to follow the herd within three hours of being born. The rut for European bison lasts from July to October and the females gestate for eight and a half months. Their babies are just as quick on their feet as their American counterparts.

The baby bison may remain with their mothers for up to three years, though their first year is a dangerous time. Young bison may be taken by predators including wolves and bears. Adults, however, are aggressive and defiant and will defend their babies from these attacks whenever possible. As strong and temperamental as they can be, though, bison only live an average of fifteen years!

There are also bovines commonly called Indian bisons, though these animals aren’t classified in the Bison genus. We’ve discussed these imposing mammals in a previous episode. Though they aren’t classified in the same genus, the Indian bison can, however, produce fertile offspring with bison which has led some scientists to consider a reclassification! In fact, bison can even breed with domestic cows!

For more facts on bison check out the links in the description. Thank you to brock for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.