- American Bison
American Bison
American Bison
Description
A bison has a shaggy, long, dark brown winter coat, and a lighter weight, lighter brown summer coat. Bison can reach up to 2 meters(6.6 ft) tall, 3 meters (10 ft) long, and weigh 400 kilograms (882 lb) to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb). As typical in ungulates the male bison is slightly larger. The biggestspecimens on record have weighed as much as 1,133 kilograms (2,500 lb). The heads and forequarters are massive, and both sexes have short, curved horns, which they use in fighting for status within the herd and for defense.
Bison are herbivores, grazing on the grasses and sedges of the North American prairies. They eat in the morning and evening, and rest during the day. Bison mate in August and September; gestation is 285 days. A single reddish-brown calf is born the following spring, and it nurses for a year. Bison are mature at three years of age, and have a life expectancy of approximately 15 years in the wild and up to 25 years in captivity.
Juveniles are lighter in color than mature bison for the first three months of life. One very rare condition is the white buffalo, where the calf turns entirely white. White bison are considered sacred by many Native Americans.
info obtained from wikipedia
Life History
Bison are gregarious, social animals. Throughout most of the year, they form herds composed primarily of adult females, subadults of both sexes, and calves. Mature bulls usually associate in smaller bachelor groups. Lone bulls are relatively common. Groups of cows and bulls mix during the rutting season, which in northern areas may extend from July to September. Bison have lengthy gestation period of about 9 months.
Cows and calves have a close relationship,which declines over time. A single, reddish-brown calf, weighing 15-25 kg, is usually born between mid April and early June. Calves can stand within about 10 minutes of birth, and can nurse within 30 minutes.Calves nurse for at least seven to eight months. The birth coat darkens to brownish black at about two months.Calves grow rapidly and can weigh 135-180 kg by about eight or nine months.
In captivity, Wood Bison have been reported to live as long as 30 years, (one report shows 41 years) but in the wild, very few survive more than 20 years. Severe winters with deep snow, and mid winter thaws followed by severe freezing, result in winter caused mortality.
Bison are vulnerable to predation by wolves, and in some populations, wolf predation can be a significant limiting factor to herd growth. In other herds, collisions with vehicles can be the limiting factor for successful herd growth.Severe spring storms may cause heavy calf mortality. An accidental cause of death can be drowning, which can often occur when animals fall through thin ice in the spring and fall.
info supplied by wildlife collision prevention program
Habitat
The American bison live on plains, prairies and river valleys. The American bison once was found in most of Canada, the United States and parts of Mexico. Wild populations are now limited national parks and refuges. Bison can be found in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, National Bison Range in the Flathead Valley of Montana, the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma, the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in northern Nebraska, Sullys Hill National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern North Dakota, Walnut Creek National Wildlife Refuge in central Iowa and the Wood Buffalo National Park in Northwest Territory, Canada.
Behavior
The American bison spends the warm hours of the day resting, chewing its cud or wallowing in dirt. It is most active in the early morning and late afternoon.
Bison live in a variety of groups. Females and young males may live in groups of up to 20 bison. Males also can live in groups of up to 20 males, or they can live in smaller groups or individually. Mature males and females usually live apart except during breeding season. Each bison group has a dominant male or female.
The States that allow Bison Hunting are
Montana, Alaska, Arizona, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming..Other states offer controlled hunts on ranches and such but these are the only ones that offer wild hunts.
