Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
24
The All-American: The Bison
MYTHS
The bison is a buffalo.
Bison are still quite scarce.
Bison are docile animals, safe to approach closely.
ONCE THEY WERE THE GLORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PRAIRIES, DARKENING THE
PLAINS IN NUMBERS BEYOND COUNTING, AND SHAKING THE EARTH WITH THE
IMPACT OF MILLIONS OF HOOVES. Then, in a few short decades, the seemingly inexhaustible
herds of the majestic bison were reduced to such a pathetic remnant that extinction of this Plains mon-
arch seemed imminent. The bison's near demise, followed by its renascence, is a tale worth repeating,
filled with carelessness, ignorance, and greed, followed by concern and the beginnings of wisdom.
The North American bison is an astonishingly tough creature, perfectly adapted to an often incred-
ibly harsh life. It's usually incorrectly referred to as a buffalo, but buffaloes are Old World animals such
as the Cape buffalo of Africa and the water buffalo of India. The bison of North America is distinctly
different, for it evolved with an ability to live in harmony with the North American prairies, a harmony
so profound that bison and prairie became mutually dependent on each other. Because of this unique
quality, it seems fitting to conclude this topic with an account of a creature that epitomizes the Old West
and the prairies of the United States and Canada.
Bison in North America are actually divided into two subspecies. The American, or Plains, bison
is
Bison bison bison.
North of the prairies in southern Canada is the wood buffalo,
Bison bison ath-
abaesca.
The two are quite similar, as evidenced by the fact that they are subspecies, rather than separ-
ate species. However, the wood bison is a bit longer than the Plains bison, as well as a little heavier in
the hindquarters.
