BiologyCoachOnlineBlog

In honor of our newest symbol of these great United States of America, we would like to shine our spotlight on the American buffalo:

The American bison (Bison bison), also called the American buffalo, is a species of bovid that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. They became nearly extinct mainly due to commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century. The American bison has made a recent resurgence due largely to their inhabiting a few national parks and wildlife reserves. Historically the America bison enjoyed a range from the Great Bear Lake in Canada's far northwest, south to the Mexican states of Durango and Nuevo León, and east to the Atlantic Seaboard of the United States. In the eastern United States buffalo roamed from New York to Georgia (and perhaps as far south as Florida). [There are even reports of buffalo being seen in North Carolina as late as 1750.] American bison live in river valleys and on prairies and plains. Typical habitat is open grasslands, sagebrush, semiarid lands, and scrublands. Bison are largely grazers feeding primarily on grasses and sedges. Bison also drink water or consume snow on a daily basis.

The majority of American bison are raised for human consumption. The taste of bison meat is considered to be very similar to good beef. By contrast, however, bison meat is lower in fat and cholesterol and higher in protein than beef. In fact, it is for this very reason that ranchers have developed the "Beefalo." Beefalo is a fertile hybrid of bison and domestic cattle that confers the better qualities of bison meat to a more economical medium.

Female bison live in maternal herds which include other females and their offspring. Male offspring leave their maternal herd when around three years old and either live alone or join other males in bachelor herds. Male and female herds do not mingle until the breeding season (usually July through September). During the breeding season, dominant bulls maintain a small harem of females for mating. Male bison play no part in raising the young.

Finally, bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to U.S. and Canadian national parks. While they appear slow (because of their "lethargic" movements), buffalo can easily outrun humans-bison can run as fast as 40-mph (64 km/h)-and they will attack humans if provoked. In fact, more injuries (and even deaths) of visitors to Yellowstone National Park have been attributed to bison than to bears.