American Bison
Alternate image Historic drawing Bison call audio
Conservation status
Conservation Dependent [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Bison Species: B. bison
Binomial name
Bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
B. b. athabascae B. b. bison Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2700x1761, 1348 KB) Summary A bison, taken by the USDA http://www. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... Conservation Dependent (LR/cd) was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... Families Antilocapridae Bovidae Camelidae Cervidae Giraffidae Hippopotamidae Moschidae Suidae Tayassuidae Tragulidae Leptochoeridae † Chaeropotamidae † Dichobunidae † Cebochoeridae † Entelodontidae † Anoplotheriidae † Anthracotheriidae † Cainotheriidae † Agriochoeridae † Merycoidodontidae † Leptomerycidae † Protoceratidae † Xiphodontidae † Amphimerycidae † Helohyidae † Gelocidae † Merycodontidae † Dromomerycidae † Raoellidae † Choeropotamidae † Sanitheriidae † The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. ... Subfamilies Bovinae Cephalophinae Hippotraginae Antilopinae Caprinae A bovid is any of almost 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. ... Tribes Bovini Boselaphini Strepsicerotini The biological subfamily Bovinae (or bovines) includes a diverse group of about 24 species of medium-sized to large ungulates, including domestic cattle, Bison, the Water Buffalo, the Yak, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. ... Species †B. antiquus B. bison B. bonasus †B. latifrons †B. occidentalis †B. priscus Bison in winter. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) or Wood Buffalo is a distinct northern subspecies of the North American Bison whose original range included much of the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, western Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, and northwestern Saskatchewan. ... Binomial name Bison bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758) The Plains Bison is one of two subspecies of the American bison. ...

The American bison (Bison bison) is a bovine mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. 'Buffalo' is something of a misnomer for this animal as it is only distantly related to either of the two "true buffaloes", the water buffalo and the African buffalo. Tribes Bovini Boselaphini Strepsicerotini The biological subfamily Bovinae includes a diverse group of about 24 medium-sized to large ungulates, including domestic cattle, bison, the Water Buffalo, the Yak, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... For the controversy at the University of Pennsylvania, see Water buffalo incident. ... Binomial name Syncerus caffer (Sparrman, 1779) Subspecies The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a bovid from the family of the Bovidae. ...

The bison originally inhabited the Great Plains of the United States and Canada in massive herds, ranging from the Great Slave Lake in Canada's far north to Mexico in the south, and from eastern Oregon almost to the Atlantic Ocean, taking its subspecies into account. Its two subspecies are the plains bison (Bison bison bison), distinguished by its smaller size and more rounded hump, and the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae), distinguished by its larger size and taller square hump. Wood bison are one of the largest species of cattle in the world, surpassed in size only by the massive Asian gaur and wild Asian water buffalo, both of which are found mainly in India and Southeast Asia. For other uses, see Great Plains (disambiguation). ... A herd of Wildebeest A gaggle of Canada geese For other uses, see Herd (disambiguation). ... Mackenzie River drainage basin showing Great Slave Lakes position in the Western Canadian Arctic Great Slave Lake (French: Grand lac des Esclaves) is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada (behind Great Bear Lake), the deepest lake in North America at 614 meters (2015 ft), and... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Binomial name Bison bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758) The Plains Bison is one of two subspecies of the American bison. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) or Wood Buffalo is a distinct northern subspecies of the North American Bison whose original range included much of the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, western Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, and northwestern Saskatchewan. ... Binomial name Bos gaurus H. Smith, 1827 Range map The Gaur (IPA gauɹ) (Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large, dark-coated ox of South Asia and Southeast Asia. ... This article is about the endangered species commonly known as Wild Asian Water buffalo. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Description

Bison have a shaggy, 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 900 to 2,000 pounds (400 to 900 kg). The biggest specimens on record have weighed as much as 2,500 pounds (1,130 kg). 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. This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Bison are herbivores, grazing on the grasss 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. A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ... For other uses, see Grass (disambiguation). ... Genera See text The family Cyperaceae, or the Sedge family, is a taxon of monocot flowering plants that superficially resemble grasses or rushes. ... For other uses, see Prairie (disambiguation). ...

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. American Buffalo (technically Bison) are normally brown in color. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ...

Due to its size and the protection afforded by living in a herd, the bison have few enemies besides humans. Grizzly bears and wolves may attempt to attack young calves or subadults, but only in the dead of winter when the herd cannot expend the energy to protect stragglers. A wolf pack can also take down an adult bison. Wolves frequently test even the largest bison for weaknesses; usually several wolves may pursue a bison and attempt to bring it down after the bison has succumbed to exhaustion or wounds from the wolves' bites. For the Brooklyn-based indie rock band, see Grizzly Bear (band). ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call...

Reproductive habits and sexual behavior

A juvenile bison in late May in Custer State Park, South Dakota.

Bison are polygamous. Dominant bulls maintain a small harem of females for mating. Individual bulls "tend" females until allowed to mate, by following them around and chasing away rival males. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (960x1280, 655 KB) Summary This is a photograph of a young bison taken in May of 2002 at Custer State Park by my, Lee Kinkade. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (960x1280, 655 KB) Summary This is a photograph of a young bison taken in May of 2002 at Custer State Park by my, Lee Kinkade. ... Custer State Park is a state park in South Dakota. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,116[1] sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Polygamy has been a feature of human culture since earliest history. ...

Homosexual behavior—including courtship and mounting between bulls—is common among bison. The Mandan nation Okipa festival concludes with a ceremonial enactment of this behavior, to "ensure the return of the buffalo in the coming season." Inter-sexual bison also occur. The Lakota refer to them as pte winkte—pte meaning bison and winkte designating two-spirit—thereby drawing an explicit parallel between transgenderism in animals and people.^[2] The Bonobo displays the highest rate of homosexual activity in any animal, being a fully bisexual species. ... This article is about the Native American tribe. ... Eddie Plenty Holes, a Sioux Indian photographed about 1899. ... Berdache (from French, from Arabic bardajo meaning kept boy) is a generic term used by some for a third gender (woman-living-man) among many, if not most, Native American tribes. ... A transwoman with XY written on her hand, at a protest in Paris, October 1, 2005. ...

Hunting

Native hunting

A bison bull on a Nebraska wildlife refuge.

The American bison is a relative newcomer to North America, having originated in Eurasia and migrated over the Bering Strait^{[citation needed]}. About 10,000 years ago it replaced the long-horned bison (Bison priscus), a previous immigrant that was much larger. It is thought that the long-horned bison may have become extinct due to a changing ecosystem and hunting pressure following the development of the Clovis point and related technology, and improved hunting skills. During this same period, other megafauna vanished and were replaced to some degree by immigrant Eurasian animals that were better adapted to predatory humans. The American bison, technically a dwarf form, was one of these animals. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1933x1774, 1033 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): American Bison Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1933x1774, 1033 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): American Bison Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... For other uses, see Nebraska (disambiguation). ... Satellite photo of the Bering Strait Photo across the Bering Strait Nautical chart of the Bering Strait The Bering Strait (Russian: ) is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43 W) of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, the westernmost point (168°05... Binomial name Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827 The Steppe Wisent (Bison priscus) was a steppe bison found on steppes throughout Europe, Central Asia, Beringia and North America during the Quaternary. ... Examples of Clovis points. ... It has been suggested that Charismatic megafauna be merged into this article or section. ...

Bison were a keystone species, whose grazing pressure was a force that shaped the ecology of the Great Plains as strongly as periodic prairie fires and which were central to the lifestyle of Native Americans of the Great Plains. But there is now some controversy over their interaction. "Hernando De Soto's expedition staggered through the Southeast for four years in the early 16th century and saw hordes of people but apparently did not see a single bison," Charles C. Mann wrote in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. Mann discussed the evidence that Native Americans not only created (by selective use of fire) the large grasslands that provided the bison's ideal habitat but also kept the bison population regulated. In this theory, it was only when the original population was devastated by wave after wave of epidemic (from diseases of Europeans) after the 16th century that the bison herds propagated wildly. However, there were not buffalo in the Ohio River Valley. In such a view, the seas of bison herds that stretched to the horizon were a symptom of an ecology out of balance, only rendered possible by decades of heavier-than-average rainfall. Bison were the most numerous single species of large wild mammal on Earth. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Great Plains (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Wildfire (disambiguation). ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... For the Peruvian economist, see Hernando de Soto (economist). ...

A bison hunt depicted by George Catlin.

What is not disputed is that before the introduction of horses, bison were herded into large chutes made of rocks and willow branches and then stampeded over cliffs. These bison jumps are found in several places in the U.S. and Canada, such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Large groups of people would herd the bison for several miles, forcing them into a stampede that would ultimately drive many animals over a cliff. The large quantities of meat obtained in this way provided the hunters with surplus, which was used in trade. A similar method of hunting was to drive the bison into natural corrals, such as the Ruby site. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... George Catlin (1796 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – December 23, 1872 in Jersey City, New Jersey) was an American painter who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... A buffalo jump is a cliff formation which North American Indians historically used to kill plains bison by herding the bison and driving them over the cliff. ... Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is located where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains begin to rise from the prairie 18 km northwest of Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada on highway 785. ... A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd (or crowd) collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose. ... The Ruby site is a Native American site located in Wyoming. ...

To get the optimum use out of the bison, the Native Americans had a specific method of butchery, first identified at the Olsen-Chubbock archaeological site in Colorado. The method involves skinning down the back in order to get at the tender meat just beneath the surface, the area known as the "hatched area." After the removal of the hatched area, the front legs are cut off as well as the shoulder blades. Doing so exposes the hump meat (in the Wood Bison), as well as the meat of the ribs and the Bison's inner organs. After everything was exposed, the spine was then severed and the pelvis and hind legs removed. Finally, the neck and head were removed as one. This allowed for the tough meat to be dried and made into pemmican. Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Pemmican is a concentrated food consisting of dried pulverized beef, dried berries, and rendered fat. ...

Later when Plains Indians obtained horses, it was found that a good horseman could easily lance or shoot enough bison to keep his tribe and family fed, as long as a herd was nearby. The bison provided meat, leather, sinew for bows, grease, dried dung for fires, and even the hooves could be boiled for glue. When times were bad, bison were consumed down to the last bit of marrow. The Plains horse Indians were in times of plenty sometimes wasteful, but this was not significant as the bison herds easily sustained the small number of animals taken. For the Dir en grey album, see The Marrow of a Bone. ...

19th century bison hunts

A photograph of a 19th-century bison by Eadweard Muybridge, part of a group of images set to motion to illustrate the animal's movement.

Bison were hunted almost to extinction in the 19th century and were reduced to a few hundred by the mid-1880s. The main reason they were hunted was for their skins, with the rest of the animal left behind to decay on the ground.^[3] After the animals rotted, their bones were collected and shipped back east in large quantities.^[3] Image File history File links Muybridge_Buffalo_galloping. ... Image File history File links Muybridge_Buffalo_galloping. ... Muybridges The Horse in Motion. ... For other uses, see Extinction (disambiguation). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Claims have been made that there was a government initiative to starve the population of the Plains Indians by killing off their main food source, the bison. The Government promoted bison hunting for various reasons: to allow ranchers to range their cattle without competition from other bovines, to weaken the Indian population and pressure them to remain on reservations. The herds formed the basis of the economies of local Plains tribes of Native Americans for whom the bison were a primary food source. Without bison, the Native Americans would be forced to leave or starve.

The railroad industry also wanted bison herds culled or eliminated. Herds of bison on tracks could damage locomotives when the trains failed to stop in time. Herds often took shelter in the artificial cuts formed by the grade of the track winding though hills and mountains in harsh winter conditions. As a result, bison herds could delay a train for days.

This map based on William Temple Hornaday's late-nineteenth-century research.

A pile of bison skulls in the 1870s.

The main reason for the bison's near-demise, much like the passenger pigeon, was commercial hunting. William Temple Hornaday, Sc. ... Image File history File links Bison_skull_pile,_ca1870. ... Image File history File links Bison_skull_pile,_ca1870. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1766) The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) or Wild Pigeon was a species of pigeon that was once the most common bird in North America. ...

Bison skins were used for industrial machine belts, clothing such as robes, and rugs. There was a huge export trade to Europe of bison hides. Old West bison hunting was very often a big commercial enterprise, involving organized teams of one or two professional hunters, backed by a team of skinners, gun cleaners, cartridge reloaders, cooks, wranglers, blacksmiths, security guards, teamsters, and numerous horses and wagons. Men were even employed to recover and re-cast lead bullets taken from the carcasses. Many of these professional hunters, such as Buffalo Bill Cody, killed over a hundred animals at a single stand and many thousands in their career. One professional hunter killed over 20,000 by his own count. A good hide could bring $3 in Dodge City, Kansas, and a very good one (the heavy winter coat) could sell for $50 in an era when a laborer would be lucky to make a dollar a day. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Buffalo Bill (February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917) was born William Frederick Cody in the American state of Iowa. ... For the 1939 western movie, see Dodge City (1939 film). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

The hunter would customarily locate the herd in the early morning, and station himself about 100 meters (100 yd) from it, shooting the animals broadside through the lungs. Head shots were not preferred as the soft lead bullets would often flatten and fail to penetrate the skull, especially if mud was matted on the head of the animal. The bison would drop until either the herd sensed danger and stampeded or perhaps a wounded animal attacked another, causing the herd to disperse. If done properly a large number of bison would be felled at one time. Following up were the skinners, who would drive a spike through the nose of each dead animal with a sledgehammer, hook up a horse team, and pull the hide from the carcass. The hides were dressed, prepared, and stacked on the wagons by other members of the organization. This article is about the unit of length. ... A yard (abbreviation: yd) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... For other uses, see Sledgehammer (disambiguation). ...

A bull bison, illustrated in The Extermination of the American Bison.

For a decade from 1873 on there were several hundred, perhaps over a thousand, such commercial hide hunting outfits harvesting bison at any one time, vastly exceeding the take by American Indians or individual meat hunters. The commercial take arguably was anywhere from 2,000 to 100,000 animals per day depending on the season, though there are no statistics available. It was said that the Big .50s were fired so much that hunters needed at least two rifles to let the barrels cool off; The Fireside Book of Guns reports they were sometimes quenched in the winter snow. Dodge City saw railroad cars sent East filled with stacked hides. Image File history File links Bull_Buffalo_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_17748. ... Image File history File links Bull_Buffalo_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_17748. ... // The military Sharps rifle (also known as the Berdan Sharps rifle) was a falling block rifle used during and after the American Civil War. ...

As the great herds began to wane, proposals to protect the bison were discussed. Cody, among others, spoke in favor of protecting the bison because he saw that the pressure on the species was too great. But these were discouraged since it was recognized that the Plains Indians, often at war with the United States, depended on bison for their way of life. In 1874, President Ulysses S. Grant "pocket vetoed" a Federal bill to protect the dwindling bison herds, and in 1875 General Philip Sheridan pleaded to a joint session of Congress to slaughter the herds, to deprive the Indians of their source of food.^[4] By 1884, the American bison was close to extinction. For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ... A pocket veto is a legislative maneuver in American federal lawmaking. ... Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political...

Comeback

A group of bison at a watering hole.

The famous herd of James "Scotty" Philip in South Dakota was one of the earliest reintroductions of bison to North America. In 1899, Phillip purchased a small herd (5 of them, including the female) from Dug Carlin, Pete Dupree's brother-in-law, whose son Fred had roped 5 calves in the Last Big Buffalo Hunt on the Grand River in 1881 and taken them back home to the ranch on the Cheyenne River. At the time of purchase there were approximately 7 pure buffalo. Scotty's goal was to preserve the animal from extinction. At the time of his death in 1911 at 53, Philip had grown the herd to an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 head of bison. A variety of privately owned herds had also been established, starting from this population. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 1420 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): American Bison Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 1420 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): American Bison Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... James Scotty Philip (30th April 1858 - 1911) was a South Dakota rancher, remembered as the Man who saved the Buffalo due to his role in helping to preserve the American Bison from extinction. ... The Grand River The Grand River is a tributary of the Missouri River in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States. ... The Cheyenne River, highlighted in a map of the Missouri River watershed The Cheyenne River is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. ...

Simultaneously, two Montana ranchers, Michel Pablo and Charles Allard, spent more than 20 years assembling one of the largest collections of purebred bison on the continent (by the time of Allard's death in 1896, the herd numbered 300). In 1907, after U.S. authorities declined to buy the herd, Pablo struck a deal with the Canadian government and shipped most of his bison northward to the newly created Elk Island National Park.^[4] Elk Island National Park, established in 1913, is located just east of Edmonton, Alberta. ...

An isolated bison herd on Utah's Antelope Island has also been used to improve the genetic diversity of American bison. The current American bison population has been growing rapidly and is estimated at 350,000, compared to an estimated 60 to 100 million in the mid-19th century. Most current herds, however are genetically polluted or partly crossbred with cattle.^{[5] [6][7][8]}. Today there are only four genetically unmixed herds and only one that is also free of brucellosis: it roams Wind Cave National Park. A founder population from the Wind Cave herd was recently established in Montana by the World Wildlife Fund. A herd of bison on Antelope Island. ... Genetic pollution, genetic contamination or genetic swamping happens when original set of naturally evolved (wild) region specific genes / gene pool of wild animals and plants become hybridized with domesticated and feral varieties or with the genes of other nonnative wild species or subspecies from neighboring or far away regions. ... Wind Cave National Park is a United States national park 10 miles (18 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Note: After losing a court case in 2002 on the use of the initials WWF, the organization previously known as the World Wrestling Federation has rebranded itself as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. WWF - The Conservation Organization was formerly known as World Wildlife Fund and Worldwide Fund for Nature. ...

Bison graze near a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park.

The only continuously wild bison herd in the United States resides within Yellowstone National Park. Numbering between 3000 and 3500, this herd is descended from a remnant population of 23 individual mountain bison that survived the mass slaughter of the 1800s by hiding out in the Pelican Valley of Yellowstone Park. In 1902, a captive herd of 21 Plains bison were introduced to the Lamar Valley and managed as livestock until the 1960s, when a policy of natural regulation was adopted by the park. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 540 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1080 pixel, file size: 357 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 540 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1080 pixel, file size: 357 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Yellowstone redirects here. ... Yellowstone redirects here. ...

The end of the ranching era and the onset of the natural regulation era set into motion a chain of events that have led to the bison of Yellowstone Park migrating to lower elevations outside the park in search of winter forage. The presence of wild bison in Montana is perceived as a threat to many cattle ranchers, who fear that the small percentage of bison that carry brucellosis will infect livestock and cause cows to abort their first calves. However, there has never been a documented case of brucellosis being transmitted to cattle from wild bison. The management controversy that began in the early 1980s continues to this day, with advocacy groups arguing that the Yellowstone herd should be protected as a distinct population segment under the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act (, et seq. ...

Bison hunting today

Bison grazing on a wildlife ranch in Texas.

Hunting of wild bison is legal in some states and provinces where public herds require culling to maintain a target population. In Alberta, where one of only two continuously wild herds of bison exist in North America at Wood Buffalo National Park, bison are hunted to protect disease free herds of public (reintroduced) and private herds of bison. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 990 KB) Summary Picture taken by me in July 2006. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 990 KB) Summary Picture taken by me in July 2006. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... Wood Buffalo National Park, located in northeastern Alberta and southern Northwest Territories, is the largest national park in Canada at 44,807 km². The park was established in 1922 to protect the worlds largest herd of free roaming Wood Bison, currently estimated at more than 5,000. ...

In Montana, a public hunt was re-established in 2005, with 50 permits being issued. The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission increased the number of tags to 140 for the 2006/2007 season. Advocacy groups claim that it is premature to re-establish the hunt, given the bison's lack of habitat and wildlife status in Montana.

One of the bison's few natural predators is the wolf. Wolves will usually prey on the females and calves and will rarely attack healthy bulls. The bison was hunted by indians and is still today making humans a bisons natraul predator but hunting Bison is also illegal places. Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call...

Bison trails

The first thoroughfares of North America, save for the time-obliterated paths of mastodon or muskox and the routes of the Mound Builders, were the traces made by bison and deer in seasonal migration and between feeding grounds and salt licks. Many of these routes, hammered by countless hoofs instinctively following watersheds and the crests of ridges in avoidance of lower places' summer muck and winter snowdrifts, were followed by the Indians as courses to hunting grounds and as warriors' paths. They were invaluable to explorers and were adopted by pioneers. This article is about the prehistoric elephant-like animal. ... Binomial name (Zimmermann, 1780) Range map. ... For other uses, see Mound builder (disambiguation). ... This article is about the ruminent animal. ... A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals regularly lick. ... A government map, probably created in the mid-20th century, that depicts a simplified history of territorial acquisitions within the continental United States. ...

Bison traces were characteristically north and south, but several key east-west trails were used later as railways. Some of these include the Cumberland Gap, from the Potomac River through the Allegheny divide to the Ohio River headwaters, and through the Blue Ridge Mountains to upper Kentucky. In Senator Thomas Hart Benton's phrase saluting these sagacious path-makers, the bison paved the way for the railroads to the Pacific.^[9] Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap (George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52) Cumberland Gap (el. ... The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... Allegheny River watershed Much of the area through which the Allegheny River flows consists of hilly woodlands. ... View of Pittsburgh, the largest metropolitan area on the Ohio River, where the Allegheny River (left) and the Monongahela River (right) join at Point State Park to form the Ohio River Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... Blue Ridge Mountains, Shining Rock Wilderness Area Appalachian Mountain system The Blue Ridge is a mountain chain in the eastern United States, part of the Appalachian Mountains, forming their eastern front from Georgia to Pennsylvania. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Thomas Hart Benton nicknamed Old Bullion (March 14, 1782 – April 10, 1858), was an U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. ...

Bison today

Bison in Colorado in spring 2006.

Bison are now raised for meat and hides. Over 250,000 of the 350,000 remaining bison are being raised for human consumption. Bison meat is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef, which has led to the development of beefalo, a fertile cross-breed of bison and domestic cattle. In 2005, about 35,000 bison were processed for meat in the U.S., with the National Bison Association and USDA providing a "Certified American Buffalo" program with birth-to-consumer tracking of bison via RFID ear tags. There is even a market for kosher bison meat; these bison are slaughtered at one of the few kosher mammal slaughterhouses in the U.S., such as at Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, and the meat is then distributed nationwide. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 791 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2576 × 1952 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 791 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2576 × 1952 pixel, file size: 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... For other uses, see FAT. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. ... Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). ... Beefalo are a fertile hybrid offspring of domestic cattle, Bos taurus, and the American Bison, Bison bison (generally called buffalo). ... USDA redirects here. ... An EPC RFID tag used for Wal-Mart Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... Agriprocessors is a slaughterhouse and meat-packaging factory located in Postville, Iowa best known as a facility for the glatt kosher processing of cattle and poultry. ... Postville is a city located in Allamakee County, Iowa. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

American bison grazing in Custer State Park in South Dakota.

Bison are found in both publicly and privately held herds. Custer State Park in South Dakota is home to 1,500 bison, one of the largest publicly held herds in the world. Wildlife officials believe that there are only four free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America, Yellowstone National Park, Henry Mountains in Utah, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota and on Elk Island in Alberta, Canada. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,116[1] sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Custer State Park is a state park in South Dakota. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,116[1] sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Yellowstone redirects here. ... An image of peaks in the Henry mountains viewed from a high mountain road. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Wind Cave National Park is a United States national park 10 miles (18 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,116[1] sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ...

Recent genetic studies of privately owned herds of bison show that many of them include animals with genes from domestic cattle. For example, the herd on Santa Catalina Island, isolated since 1924 after being brought there for a movie shoot, were found to be mostly crossbreeds.^[10] It is estimated that there are as few as 12,000 to 15,000 pure bison in the world. The numbers are uncertain because the tests so far used mitochondrial DNA analysis, and thus would miss cattle genes inherited in the male line. Most hybrids look exactly like purebred bison. Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. State of California. ... Mitochondrial DNA (some captions in German) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria. ...

A proposal known as Buffalo Commons has been suggested by a handful of academics and policymakers to restore large parts of the drier portion of the Great Plains to native prairie grazed by bison. Proponents argue that current agricultural use of the shortgrass prairie is not sustainable, pointing to periodic disasters including the Dust Bowl and continuing significant human population loss over the last 60 years. However, this plan is opposed by most who live in the areas in question. Buffalo Commons is a proposal to restore large parts of the drier portion of the Great Plains to native prairie grazed by buffalo. ... For other uses, see Prairie (disambiguation). ... The shortgrass prairie ecosystem of the North American Great Plains is a prairie that formerly encompassed lands from the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains east to Nebraska, including rangelands in Colorado and Kansas, and extending to the south through the high plains of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. ... The Earth Day flag includes a NASA photo. ... Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas in 1935 Buried machinery in barn lot. ...

Bison symbolism

The 1935 buffalo nickel – this style of coin featuring an American bison was produced from 1913 to 1938.

Wyoming uses a bison in its state flag.

The crest of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The American bison is often used in North America in official seals, flags and logos. In the United States, the American bison is a popular symbol in the Great Plains states. Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming have adopted the animal as their official state mammal, and many sports teams have chosen the buffalo as their mascot, including the University of Colorado Buffaloes. In Canada, the bison is used in the official coat of arms of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (946x470, 207 KB)1935 Buffalo Nickel, photo taken by user Bobby131313 with an Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom Bobby 04:04, 21 September 2006 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (946x470, 207 KB)1935 Buffalo Nickel, photo taken by user Bobby131313 with an Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom Bobby 04:04, 21 September 2006 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... The United States five cent coin, commonly called a nickel, is a unit of currency equaling one 1/20th of a United States dollar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Wyoming. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Wyoming. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... EVAN FRISKE WAS HERE ! File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... EVAN FRISKE WAS HERE ! File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... RCMP redirects here. ... The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder, UCB officially[3]; Colorado and CU colloquially) is the flagship university of the University of Colorado System in Boulder, Colorado. ... Mike Bohn at the 2005 Spring Practice game. ... RCMP redirects here. ...

Several American coins feature the bison, perhaps most famously on on the reverse side of the "buffalo nickel" from 1913 to 1938. In 2005, the United States Mint coined a nickel with a new depiction of the bison as part of its "Westward Journey" series. The Kansas and North Dakota state quarters, part of the "50 State Quarter" series, each feature bison. The Kansas state quarter only has the bison and does not feature any writing, while the North Dakota state quarter has two bison. The United States five cent coin, commonly called a nickel, is a unit of currency equaling one 1/20th of a United States dollar. ... Seal of the U.S. Mint Denver United States mint building The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. ... Obverse of redesigned quarter The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of commemorative coins by the United States Mint. ...

Other institutions which have adopted the bison as a symbol or mascot include:

• Bethany College (Bethany, West Virginia)
• Bucknell University
• Buffalo, New York (although the city was not named after the animal)
• Buffalo Bills
• Buffalo Sabres
• CFB Wainwright
• Howard University
• Lipscomb University
• Harding University
• Manitoba
• University of Manitoba
• Marshall University
• Independence Party of Minnesota
• Nichols College
• North Dakota State University
• University of Colorado
• West Texas A&M University

Bethany College can refer to any of the following colleges: Bethany College in Scotts Valley, California Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas Bethany College of West Virginia Bethany Lutheran College This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Bucknell University is a private university located along the Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 60 miles (97 km) north of Harrisburg. ... Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State Coordinates: , Country State County Erie Government  - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area  - City 52. ... For other uses, see Buffalo Bills (disambiguation). ... The Buffalo Sabres is the best professional ice hockey team around. ... CFB/ASU Wainwright is a Canadian Forces Base/Area Support Unit located adjacent to the Town of Wainwright in Alberta, Canada. ... Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. A historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. ... Lipscomb University is a Church of Christ-affiliated liberal arts university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. ... Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas, in the United States, about 50 miles north-east of Little Rock. ... Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Official languages English French (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 14 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 15, 1870 (5th) Area  Ranked 8th Total 647,797... The University of Manitoba is the largest university of the province of Manitoba, most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. ... Marshall University is a public university based in Huntington, West Virginia. ... The Independence Party of Minnesota (often abbreviated MNIP, IP or IPM), formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota, is the third largest political party in Minnesota, behind the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and Republican Party. ... Nichols College is a 4-year private business school that is located in Dudley, Massachusetts. ... North Dakota State University (NDSU) is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. It is the second largest school in the eleven campus North Dakota University System. ... The University of Colorado (CU) System consists of five campuses: University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Colorado Springs University of Colorado at Denver University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Fitzsimons campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, scheduled to open in 2007 in Aurora, Colorado... West Texas A&M University (also known as WTAMU, or WT), part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo, Texas. ...

Dangers

This grazing bison in Yellowstone National Park is blocking a path.

Bison have the ability to leap a standard barbed-wire fence, as seen here near Lake George, Colorado.

Bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various U.S. and Canadian National Parks, especially Yellowstone National Park. Although they are not carnivorous, they will attack humans if provoked. They appear slow because of their lethargic movements, but they can easily outrun humans – they have been observed running as fast as 35 miles (56.3 km) per hour. Between 1978 and 1992, over four times as many people in Yellowstone National Park were killed or injured by bison as by bears (12 by bears, 56 by bison). Bison also have the unexpected ability, given the animal's size and body structure, to leap over a standard barbed-wire fence. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 989 KB) Summary My picture from July 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 989 KB) Summary My picture from July 2005. ... Yellowstone redirects here. ... This article deals with meat-eating animals. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... “km” redirects here. ...

See also

• Wisent
• American Bison Society
• Buffalo Hunters' War

Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) A wisent (Żubr) The Wisent or European Bison (Bison bonasus) (pronounced ) is a bison species and the heaviest land animal in Europe. ...

References

• Bison bison (TSN 180706). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 18 March 2006.
• Fagan, Brian. Ancient North America. 2005. Thames and Hudson
• Koller, Larry. Fireside Book of Guns. 1959 Simon and Schuster

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Bruce Bagemihl, PhD., is the author of the controversial book Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity, which first argues that homosexual and bisexual behaviors are rife through the natural world, and then proposes an overarching theory of natural sexuality in which reproduction is only one of its principal biological... Norman, Oklahoma, is the county seat and largest city in Cleveland County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area. ... University of Oklahoma, abbreviated OU, is a coeducational public research university located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A cover of the Canadian magazine Macleans. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the state. ... Charles Scribners Sons is a publisher that was founded in 1846 at the Brick Church Chapel on New Yorks Park Row. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ... is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Bison bison

Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on

Bison

• National Bison Association
• Buffalo Field Campaign
• Species profile: American bison by The Nature Conservancy
• Canadian bison
• Bison safety information at Yellowstone National Park from the National Park Service
• The Extermination of the American Bison, by William T. Hornaday from Project Gutenberg
• Wild Bison Reference Project -Collaborative Bibliography for the Conservation, Management and Advocacy of Wild Bison

v • d • e Game Animals and Shooting in North America
Game Birds:	Bobwhite Quail · Chukar · Hungarian Partridge · Prairie Chicken · Mourning Dove · Ring-necked pheasant · Ptarmigan · Ruffed Grouse · Sharp-tailed Grouse  · Snipe (Common Snipe) · Spruce Grouse · Turkey · Woodcock
Waterfowl	Black Duck · Canada Goose · Canvasback · Gadwall · Greater Scaup · Lesser Scaup · Mallard · Northern Pintail · Redhead · Ross's Goose · Snow Goose · Wood Duck
Big Game:	Bighorn Sheep · Black Bear · Boar · Brown Bear · Buffalo · Caribou · Cougar (Mountain Lion) · Elk · Moose · White-tailed deer · Gray wolf · Mountain goat · Mule Deer · Muskox · Dall Sheep · Polar Bear
Other Quarry:	American Alligator · Bobcat · Coyote · Fox Squirrel · Gray Fox · Gray Squirrel · Opossum · Rabbit · Raccoon · Red Fox · Snowshoe Hare
See also:	Bear hunting · Big game hunting  · Deer hunting · Waterfowl hunting · Wolf hunting · Upland hunting