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They live in big groups called herds
They have thick fur
They
have big heads and shoulders, but narrow hips
Both males and females have horns
They
eat grass
A male bison is a bull, a female is a cow and a young one is a calf.
Historical background
Bison are the largest land animals in North America. There were probably about 60-70 million bison roaming across the prairies (American grasslands) when Europeans first arrived on the contineMales
After European settlement, the bison numbers dropped dramatically as they were hunted for meat and skins, and to clear the prairies so that settlers could establish farms.
A Bison cow
The Native Americans of the prairies depended on the bison for their every need. They used every part of the animal, wasting nothing. Some tribes, such as the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Sioux and Comanche, followed the great herds as they travelled across the prairies. Other tribes, such as the Arikara, Osage and Pawnee, spent part of the year in a fixed village and part of the year following the bison.
Click here to find out about traditional Native American uses of bison
At the beginning of the 20th century, bison were nearly extinct, but national parks like Yellowstone were created to help save them. They are now not endangered. Some Native American tribes are now starting to introduce Bison back on to the prairies.
Body and Appearance
Bison bulls weigh over 1 tonne, and are about 1.8 metres at shoulder height. The huge head looks even bigger because of the beard and tufts of hair on top.
The cows are smaller and their heads do not look as large.
Bison have heavy shoulders with thick fur, and narrow hindquarters (hips) with thinner fur. They have a large hump on their shoulders.
Newborn calves are a lighter, more orange colour, but become dark brown by about 10 weeks of age. In fact, calves are sometimes called 'pumpkins' because of their orange colour, and the fact that when they lie curled up in the grass, they do look a bit like pumpkins!
Bison grow heavy extra fur in winter to help survive the snow and blizzards, but this winter fur drops off in big clumps through the spring and summer months. Native Americans used to collect these clumps of fur, and use them to stuff pillows and mattresses.
Behaviours
Bison eat grasses. They often roll in dust or mud and rub against
boulders or trees to get rid of insects. They can run at speeds
of about 60 kilometres an hour. They are good swimmers, often
swimming across rivers as wide as 1 kilometre.
Life Cycle
Females generally
have a calf every 1 or 2 years. After mating with a male, a female gives birth to a calf about 9 months later. The calf is able to run within hours of its birth. Young stay close to their mothers in the centre of the herd.
Correct name
Bison are often called 'buffalo', but this is not scientifically correct. The zoological, or scientific, name for the animal is 'Bison bison'.
For more information about bison, go here
http://www.yptenc.org.uk/docs/factsheets/animal_facts/american_bison.html
If you use any part of this in your work, acknowledge it in your bibliography like this:
Bison (2000). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au
Updated May 2007