Bison Bison bison Wyoming Male tending female during rut
Bison Bison bison Wyoming Male tending female during rut Commonly called buffalo Males weigh up to 2000 pounds heaviest land mammal in North America Nearly went extinct by 1894 due to hunting prompting Congress to pass the National Park Protective Act which imposed stiff fines or imprisonment for bison poaching Inhabits plains prairies and river valleys and sometimes forests Grazes on grasses sedges and forbs and sometimes berries lichens and horsetails Native Americans used almost every part of the Bison still used for human consumption today Mates in the summer Bull enters the matriarchal herd and displays flehmen and tending behavior Flehmen consists of curling the lip back and extending the neck and is thought to enhance the sense of smell Male tends a female by remaining between her and the herd in an attempt to keep the cow isolated Males threaten and can battle other contenders which can result in butting and horn locking Bison usually have a single calf after about nine months Most young are weaned by late summer and some nurse up to seven months
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Photo credit: © John Cancalosi / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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