American bison are the heaviest land animal in North America.
American bison are ungulates and are part of the family Bovidae along with cattle and goats. They can gallop at speeds up to 60 kilometres and are good swimmers as they are quite buoyant in the water.
American bison are social animals that live in groups of up to 30 individuals. Their shaggy fur offers them incredible insulation during the harsh winters. Bison move continuously while grazing and do not overgraze an area; but rather support a healthy landscape for both flora and fauna.
Size: Bison can be up to 4meters in length and range from 1.5 to 2 meters tall. Males are larger than females. They weigh from 700-900 Kg with some males reaching 1 ton.
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American bison
Bison bison
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Animal ClassMammal, Bovidae -
HabitatOpen semi-natural grasslands such as prairies and plains. -
DietHerbivores – Bison are herbivores and feed mainly on grasses and sedges. -
Conservation StatusNear threatened – American bison populations are stable throughout their range. -
PopulationApproximately 13,000 mature individuals
American bison are the heaviest land animal in North America.
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Introduction
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Threats/ Conservation
Near threatened:
The American bison’s population sustained massive decline, due to overhunting, in the 19th century but has since recovered in part.
Currently, only a small fraction of Bison remains free ranging. Most bison are part of stocks that are captive managed.
Threats to the population include habitat loss, reduction of genetic diversity, crossbreeding, with domestic cattle, and culling, to prevent spread of bovine diseases to agricultural stock, have left these majestic animals less than secure in the wild.
It is estimated that there are currently between 11,000 and 13,000 free-ranging mature individuals. *
*2016 -
Habitat
American bison once roamed from Alaska to Mexico but now can only be found in the Western United States, mainly in Yellowstone National Park and in Canada. Typical bison habitats are open semi-natural grasslands such as prairies and plains. They can be found at all elevations, in the protected areas that they live.
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Fun Facts
Bison communicate through grunts and snorts. They have excellent vision and use their sense of smell to detect danger.
Bisons mating season lasts from June to September. A dominant bull will protect a small group of females to mate with. One calf will be born after a gestation period of approximately 290 days. Within 3 hours of birth calves can run but stay close by their mothers. Females will stay close to their calf and protect it for up to a year.
