Bison Habitat and Characteristics
Photo Credit: Animalia
Bison are fascinating animals and one of the most iconic North American wildlife species. Where do they live? Why are they so shaggy? What do “red dogs” have to do with bison? Learn all about them here!
Bison or buffalo? These terms generally refer to the same animal, but to learn the history of these words - and the history of bison in North America - check out my “Bison or Buffalo?” post from last week.
Range
Photo Credit: IUCN Red List
While bison were once found from northern Mexico to Canada, bison in the wild today currently occupy only 1.2% of their historical range. In fact, the IUCN Red List categorizes bison as “Near Threatened” and “Critically Depleted.”
To learn more about why bison populations are so depleted, and ongoing efforts to strengthen bison populations, read last week’s “Bison or Buffalo?” post.
Diet and Characteristics
Bison are iconic species of the grasslands, and have also historically thrived in shrublands and forests. They graze on a wide variety of grasses and sedges - and occasionally woody plants - consuming the hard-to-digest cellulose thanks to their four-chambered stomachs (common for ruminants and grazing animals).
Photo Credit: US Department of the Interior, Flickr
The grazing patterns of bison actually have wide-scale implications for the grassland ecosystem; by selectively avoiding plants other than grass, bison “influence the local prairie biodiversity.” Some of these impacts are listed below:
Increase in photosynthesis as bison selective grazing causes increased light availability and “reduced competition for water and nutrients”;
Increase in plant diversity after wildfires as bison are attracted to recently burned areas due to the abundance of new grasses; and
Increase in species richness for the wider grassland ecosystem.
Photo Credit: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Flickr
Bison have thick, shaggy coats that allow them to survive freezing winter temperatures. Both male and female bison have horns that continually grow throughout their lifetimes, which they use to defend themselves against predators. In addition, when competing for mates, male bison will use their horns to fight each other.
Photo Credit: Marshal Hedin, Wikimedia Commons
Bison travel and live in herds, which are frequently split into a male herd and a female/ calves herd. During the breeding season, males will temporarily join a female group to look for a mate. Bison primarily communicate by hearing and smell, with pheromones playing an important role in mating.
Reproduction
Photo Credit: Yellowstone National Park, Flickr
Bison have a gestation period of nine months and frequently give birth in April or May; they have one calf at a time. These baby bison are called “red dogs” due to their bright, red coats that turn brown as they age! Bison are able to walk almost immediately after birth and can keep up with the rest of the herd about two or three hours after birth.
More Resources
“Getting to Know Bison” by South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks
“Bisonology” from the Ologies podcast featuring host Alie Ward and guests/ bison experts “Dr. Ken Cannon, wildlife biologist Dr. Dan McNulty, [and] Alie's cousin Boyd and his wife Lila Evans of the Blackfeet Tribe, who are bison ranchers based in Northern Montana” (Ologies).
IndigenousLed.org’s “Science” page - search for “bison”
