NATURE OF HUMAN NATURE
The
bison is also known as the American bison and the American buffalo, although
the bison is only thought to be very distantly related to the buffalo and the
water buffalo found in Africa and Asia respectively.
The
bison is one of the largest types of cow in the world with adult bison commonly
growing to 2 meters tall or more. The bison typically have long shaggy hair if
they inhabit colder regions and the bison in the warmer climates have shorter
hair.
The
wild bison has been hunted by humans for meat, skins and trophy hunting. The
bison has only a handful of predators in the wild mainly due to the sheer size
of the bison. Wolves, bears and cougars are amongst those animals that hunt the
bison in their natural habitat.
The
bison is considered to be the largest land mammal still in existence in North
America, where the natural habitat of the bison ranged from Canada to Mexico.
Due to loss of the bisons habitat and hunting, the bison are now only found in
large herds in very remote areas and farmland.
Before
the settlers arrived in North America in the 1800s there were approximately 60
- 100 million bison inhabiting the area, the settlers hunted the bison
population down to a mere 1,000 from which the species has still not fully
recovered.
Facts
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Bison
Scientific Name: Bison Bison
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Size (L): 2m - 2.7m (6.6ft - 9ft)
Weight: 1,000kg - 1,300kg (2,200lbs - 2,500lbs)
Top Speed: 35km/h (22mph)
Life Span: 15 - 20 years
Lifestyle: Herd
Conservation Status: Threatened
Colour: Brown, Tan
Skin Type: Hair
Favourite Food: Grass
Habitat: Grass plains and forest
Average Litter Size: 1
Main Prey: Grass, Acorns, Berries
Predators: Human, Bear, Wolves
Distinctive Features: Huge head and a shoulder hump
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