Last summer when we met the pronghorn, we said we’d circle back and meet the American Bison.
Consider us circled and say hello to our National Mammal the American Bison (Bison bison).
First, yes, the American bison’s scientific name really is Bison bison. The plains bison subspecies is Bison bison bison (be careful though, if you say that one out loud a bison may appear!)
Second, yes, the American bison is also sometimes called a “buffalo” though they are not closely related to true buffalo (Subtribe Bubalina) who are found only in Africa and Asia.
That said, both bison and buffalo are in the Family Bovidae so they are cattle cousins.
Why is the American bison called the “American” bison? Because there is also a European bison (Bison bonasus). European bison live in woodlands and are slightly larger and longer legged than the American bison but are less heavily built.
But back to our National Mammal! The American bison has been here a long time. A very long time. Their ancestors migrated from Asia across the Bering Land Bridge sometime between 95,000 and 135,000 years ago before spreading rapidly throughout the continent.
American bison happily roamed throughout nearly all of North America by the millions until the late 1800s when they’d been hunted nearly to extinction. Their salvation came in part via Teddy Roosevelt. In 1883 Roosevelt went to the Dakota Territory to hunt bison, but upon his return to New York, he was a changed man and instead began working toward bison conservation.
In 1905 Roosevelt, along with William Hornaday formed the American Bison Society and now American bison once again live in all 50 states.
According to the National Bison Association there are approximately 51K free roaming American bison today between herds on federal, state and tribal lands. There are another 350K privately owned bison. The bison meat you can buy for your BBQ or in your Blue Buffalo dog kibble is privately owned bison.
Now let’s dig into some American bison facts! Bison are big. How big are they? They are the largest land mammal in North America. Male bison (bulls) weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females (cows) weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet. Bison calves weigh 30-70 pounds at birth.
It takes a long time to grow a calf that big. Female bison have a 9.5-month gestation period, so they have only one calf per year.
American bison live 10 – 20 years in the wild and females aren’t mature enough to breed until they are two to three-years-old. Males can breed when they are two, but most don’t until they are six.
During breeding season, bulls go head-to-head – literally – to woo the ladies. Even the bull who fends off a competing male may still come out the loser though if the female he fought for just isn’t that into him.
For most of the year American bison form bands. Older bulls are sometimes loners, while younger bulls may form groups of up to 30 members. Females, calves and young bulls form their own small bands. The entire herd will usually move together – in their separate sub-groups – to look for good grazing and water.
American bison need grasses for grazing year-round, so they can be pretty mobile within their territory. In winter they find grasses buried beneath snow by using their big old head as snow shovels. They’ll sweep their heads from side to side clearing away the snow to get to their food.
Bison usually eat in the morning, chill for most of the day, then eat again in the evening. They pack in 1.6% of their own body mass daily during those two meal periods.
While bison may seem large and lumbering, if you’re ever near a bison – DO NOT be near a bison!
While they have poor eyesight, they have excellent hearing and an even better sense of smell. See photo collage left side for a bison performing the Flehmen response – AKA getting a really good whiff of the photographer, AKA me. I was quite far back and behind a (albeit too small and flimsy) fence, literally with one foot in my car in case I needed to beat a hasty retreat. Do not vex the bison.
Bison can run up to 35 MPH, are excellent swimmers and are quite agile. You want to always maintain a distance of at least 100 feet from bison, 2,000 pounds is nothing to mess around with.
To summarize: Bison aren’t buffalo, though they are sometimes called that. American bison are our National Mammal. American bison are also our largest land mammal. There are both wild and domestic herds of American bison found throughout the US. American bison are fast and agile – don’t pet the fluffy cows.