MAMMALIA: ARTIODACTYLA: BOVIDAE: Bison

Bison bison

American bison/buffalo

Photo & text by Dr. Robert Sprackland

Range: Presently restricted to Yellowstone National Park or private compounds, bison once ranged from central Alaska across most of western Canada south to northeastern Mexico.

Diagnosis:

Description: A huge bovid, with a maximum weight of 1,000 kg/ 2,200 lbs. The body may reach 350 cm/ 10.3 feet, with a 60 cm/ 12 inch tail. Head, shoulder, and foreleg hair shaggy and coarse. The remaining hair is generally short, brown, and coarse. There is a distinct shoulder hump. Horns are short, and strongly curved.

Natural History:

Reproduction:

Taxonomy & Relationships: The status of buffalo is controversial. Some authorities consider the European and American bison to be one species; other mammalogists believe Bison should be incorporated with the cows, genus Bos. Yet others would divide the American bison into two subspecies.

Variation:

Additional Comments:

Type Specimen:

Literature:

Nowak, Ronald. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World, Fifth Edition. Two volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN: 0-8018-3970-X.