25 Facts About American bison

American bison is a species of bison native to North America.

The wood American bison is one of the largest wild species of extant bovid in the world, surpassed only by the Asian gaur.

The term American bison was first recorded in 1774, and is the correct scientific terminology.

Plains American bison are often in the smaller range of sizes, and wood American bison in the larger range.

Adult American bison are slightly heavier on average because of their less rangy build, and have shorter legs, which render them slightly shorter at the shoulder.

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American bison tend to graze more, and browse less than their European relatives, because their necks are set differently.

The body of the American bison is hairier, though its tail has less hair than that of the European bison.

American bison are more easily tamed than the European, and breed more readily with domestic cattle.

Generally, male domestic bulls were crossed with American bison cows, producing offspring of which only the females were fertile.

The Janos-Hidalgo American bison herd has ranged between Chihuahua, Mexico, and New Mexico, United States, since at least the 1920s.

In 2009, genetically pure American bison were reintroduced to the Janos Biosphere Reserve in northern Chihuahua adding to the Mexican American bison population.

The American bison are adapting well to the cold climate, and Yakutia's Red List officially registered the species in 2019; a second herd was formed in 2020.

The summer ranges of American bison appear to be influenced by seasonal vegetation changes, interspersion and size of foraging sites, the rut, and the number of biting insects.

Wolf predation typically peaks in late winter, when elk migrates south and American bison are distressed with heavy snows and shortages of food sources, with attacks usually being concentrated on weakened and injured cows and calves.

Wolf packs specializing in American bison tend to have more males, because their larger size than females allows them to wrestle prey to the ground more effectively.

Buffalo hunting, i e hunting of the American bison, was an activity fundamental to the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains.

Recent genetic studies of privately owned herds of American bison show that many of them include animals with genes from domestic cattle.

Major problem that American bison face today is a lack of genetic diversity due to the population bottleneck the species experienced during its near-extinction event.

The Wood Buffalo Park American bison were determined to actually be crossbreeds between plains and wood American bison, but their predominant genetic makeup was that of the expected "wood buffalo".

However, the Yellowstone Park American bison herd was pure plains American bison, and not any of the other previously suggested subspecies.

Small populations of American bison are at considerably larger risk due to their decreased gene pool and are susceptible to catastrophic events more so than larger herds.

Translocated American bison will be screened for any health defects such as infection of brucellosis bacteria as to not put the larger herd at risk.

American bison is often used in North America in official seals, flags, and logos.

The American bison is a popular symbol in the Great Plains states: Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming have adopted the animal as their official state mammal, and many sports teams have chosen the American bison as their mascot.

In Canada, the American bison is the official animal of the province of Manitoba and appears on the Manitoba flag.

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