View source for Bison

{{Short description|Genus of mammals}}
{{About|the animal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| italic_title = no
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|2.6|0}}<small>Early [[Pleistocene]]&nbsp;– present</small>
| image = American bison k5680-1.jpg
| image_caption = [[American bison]]<br /> (''Bison bison'')
| image2 = Bison bonasus (Linnaeus 1758).jpg
| image2_caption = [[European bison]]<br /> (''Bison bonasus'')
| taxon = Bison <!--- do not change this without first obtaining consensus at [[WT:TOL]] or [[WT:MAMMAL]] --->
| authority = [[Charles Hamilton Smith|Hamilton Smith]], 1827
| type_species = ''[[American bison|Bison bison]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = *Subgenus ''Eobison''
**†''[[Bison palaeosinensis|B. palaeosinensis]]''
**†''[[Bison sivalensis|B. sivalensis]]''
**†''[[Bison georgicus|B. georgicus]]''
**†''[[Bison degiulii|B. degiulii]]''?
*Subgenus ''Bison''
**†''[[Bison schoetensacki|B. schoetensacki]]''
**†''[[Bison hanaizumiensis|B. hanaizumiensis]]''
**†''[[Bison menneri|B. menneri]]''
**†''[[Bison voigtstedtensis|B. voigtstedtensis]]''
**†''[[Bison antiquus|B. antiquus]]''
**†''[[Bison latifrons|B. latifrons]]''
**†''[[Bison occidentalis|B. occidentalis]]''
**†''[[Steppe bison|B. priscus]]''
**''[[American bison|B. bison]]''
**''[[European bison|B. bonasus]]''
*''Incertae sedis''
**†''[[Bison tamanensis|B. tamanensis]]''
| range_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=American bison range.map}}
| range_map_caption = IUCN range of the two American bison subspecies.
{{leftlegend|#382e2c|Plains bison (''Bison bison subsp. bison'')}}
{{leftlegend|#f2b981|Wood bison (''Bison bison subsp. athabascae'')}}
| range_map2 = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=European bison range.map}}
| range_map2_caption = IUCN range of the European bison.
{{leftlegend|#da2a1c|European bison (''Bison bonasus'')}}
}}

A '''bison''' ({{plural form}}: '''bison''') is a large [[bovine]] in the [[genus]] '''''Bison''''' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox'<ref>{{cite web|url=https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/concepts/glossary|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120123130/https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/concepts/glossary|archive-date=20 November 2021|title=Glossary. American Museum of Natural History}}</ref>) within the [[Tribe (biology)|tribe]] [[Bovini]]. Two [[extant taxon|extant]] and numerous [[extinction|extinct]] species are recognised.  

Of the two surviving species, the [[American bison]], ''B.&nbsp;bison'', found only in [[North America]], is the more numerous. Although colloquially referred to as a '''buffalo''' in the United States and Canada,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title=Bison | author=Olson, Wes | encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia | url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bison/ | access-date=2013-04-23 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317035258/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bison/ | archive-date=17 March 2014}}</ref> it is only distantly related to the [[true buffalo]]. The North American species is composed of two subspecies, the [[Plains bison]], ''B.&nbsp;b.&nbsp;bison'', and the generally more northern [[wood bison]], ''B.&nbsp;b.&nbsp;athabascae''. A third subspecies, the eastern bison (''B.&nbsp;b.&nbsp;pennsylvanicus'') is no longer considered a valid [[taxon]], being a junior synonym of ''B.&nbsp;b.&nbsp;bison''.<ref name="pennsylvanicus">{{cite web|title=BIson americanus pennsylvanicus|url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=203621#null|website=ITIS|access-date=13 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314153713/https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=203621#null|archive-date=14 March 2017}}</ref> Historical references to "woods bison" or "wood bison" from the [[Eastern United States]] refer to this synonym animal (and to their eastern woodland habitat), not to ''B.&nbsp;b.&nbsp;athabascae'', which was not found in the region. Its European kind ''[[European bison|B.&nbsp;bonasus]]'' or '''wisent''' —also 'zubr' or colloquially 'European buffalo'— is found in Europe and the [[Caucasus]], reintroduced after being [[extinct in the wild]].

While bison species have been traditionally classified in their own [[genus]], modern genetics indicates that they are nested within the genus ''[[Bos]],'' which includes, among others, cattle, [[yak]]s and [[gaur]], being most closely related to yaks.

==Description==
[[File:Bison on plaque Bedeilhac grottoe Ariege.jpg|thumb|left|[[Magdalenian]] bison on plaque, 17,000–9,000 BC, [[Bédeilhac Cave]], [[Ariège (department)|Ariège]]]]

The American bison and the European bison (wisent) are among the largest surviving terrestrial animals in North America and Europe. They are typical [[artiodactyl]] (cloven hooved) ungulates, and are similar in appearance to other bovines such as cattle and true buffalo. They are broad and muscular with shaggy coats of long hair. Adults grow up to {{convert|2|m|ftin|abbr=off}} in height and {{convert|3.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in length for American bison<ref name=YukagirBison>Gennady G. Boeskorov, Olga R. Potapova, Albert V. Protopopov, Valery V. Plotnikov, Larry D. Agenbroad, Konstantin S. Kirikov, Innokenty S. Pavlov, Marina V. Shchelchkova, Innocenty N. Belolyubskii, Mikhail D. Tomshin, Rafal Kowalczyk, Sergey P. Davydov, Stanislav D. Kolesov, Alexey N. Tikhonov, Johannes van der Plicht, 2016, The Yukagir Bison: The exterior morphology of a complete frozen mummy of the extinct steppe bison, ''Bison priscus'' from the early Holocene of northern Yakutia, Russia, pp.7, [[Quaternary International]], Vol.406 (25 June 2016), Part B, pp.94-110</ref><ref name="nwf.org">[https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/American-Bison] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423215245/https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/American-Bison |date=23 April 2024 }} "American Bison", The National Wildlife Federation.</ref> and up to {{convert|2.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in height<ref name=WWFRussia>Semenov U.A. of [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]]-Russia, 2014, "The Wisents of Karachay-Cherkessia", Proceedings of the [[Sochi National Park]] (8), pp.23-24, {{ISBN|978-5-87317-984-8}}, KMK Scientific Press</ref> and {{convert|2.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in length for European bison.<ref name="Bison bonasus, European bison">Hendricks, K. [https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bison_bonasus/ "''Bison bonasus'', European bison"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720041134/https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bison_bonasus/ |date=20 July 2021 }}, Animal Diversity Web, 2013.</ref> American bison can weigh from around {{convert|400|to|1,270|kg|abbr=off}}<ref name="nwf.org"/><ref>{{cite book|author1=Joel Berger|author2=Carol Cunningham|title=Bison: mating and conservation in small populations|date=June 1994|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-08456-7|page=162}}</ref> and European bison can weigh from {{convert|800|to|1000|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Bison bonasus, European bison"/> European bison tend to be taller than American bison.

Bison are nomadic [[Grazing|grazers]] and travel in [[herd]]s. The bulls leave the herds of females at two or three years of age, and join a herd of males, which usually are smaller than female herds. Mature bulls rarely travel alone. Towards the end of the summer, for the reproductive season, the sexes necessarily commingle.<ref name="headsmashedin">{{cite book |url=http://www.aupress.ca/books/120137/ebook/99Z_Brink_2008-Imagining_Head_Smashed_In.pdf |title=Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains |last=Brink |first=Jack W. |publisher=Athabasca University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-897425-09-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216103511/http://www.aupress.ca/books/120137/ebook/99Z_Brink_2008-Imagining_Head_Smashed_In.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2011}}</ref>

American bison are known for living in the [[Great Plains]], but formerly had a much larger range, including much of the eastern United States and parts of Mexico. Both species were hunted close to [[extinction]] during the 19th and 20th centuries, but have since rebounded. The wisent in part owes its survival to the Chernobyl disaster, as the [[Chernobyl Exclusion Zone]] has become a kind of wildlife preserve for wisent and other rare megafauna such as the [[Przewalski's horse]], though [[poaching]] has become a threat in the 21st century.<ref name="poachers">{{cite web|title=Chernobyl's Przewalski's horses are poached for meat|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14277058|website=BBC|access-date=13 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231064534/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14277058|archive-date=31 December 2016}}</ref> The American Plains bison is no longer listed as [[endangered]], but this does not mean the species is secure. Genetically pure ''B.&nbsp;b.&nbsp;bison'' currently number only about 20,000, separated into fragmented herds—all of which require active conservation measures.<ref name="IUCN bison">{{cite iucn|author=Aune, K.|author2= Jørgensen, D. |author3= Gates, C. |name-list-style=amp |year= 2017|title= ''Bison bison'' |errata= 2018 |article-number= e.T2815A123789863 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T2815A45156541.en}}</ref> The wood bison is on the endangered species list in Canada<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/SpeciesReport.do?groups=A&listingType=L&mapstatus=1
|title=U.S. ''Fish and Wildlife Service Species Report''
|access-date=2009-06-03
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019170013/http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/SpeciesReport.do?groups=A&listingType=L&mapstatus=1
|archive-date=19 October 2011
}}</ref> and is listed as threatened in the United States, though numerous attempts have been made by [[beefalo]] ranchers to have it entirely removed from the [[Endangered Species Act|Endangered Species List]].<ref name="Wood Bison ECOS">{{cite web|title=Wood Bison|url=https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A00R|website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System|access-date=13 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314063506/https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A00R|archive-date=14 March 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Bison skeleton taxidermy mount.jpg|thumb|left|A museum display shows the full skeleton of an adult male American bison.]]

Although superficially similar, physical and behavioural differences exist between the American and European bison. The American species has 15 ribs, while the European bison has 14. The American bison has four lumbar vertebrae, while the European has five.<ref>''The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge'' by Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain), published by C. Knight, 1835</ref> (The difference in this case is that what would be the first lumbar vertebra has ribs attached to it in American bison and is thus counted as the 15th thoracic vertebra, compared to 14 thoracic vertebrae in wisent.) Adult American bison are less slim in build and have shorter legs.<ref>{{cite book |title=Trophy Bowhunting: Plan the Hunt of a Lifetime and Bag One for the Record Books |last=Sapp |first=Rick |edition=illustrated |publisher=Stackpole |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8117-3315-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/trophybowhunting0000sapp}}</ref> American bison tend to graze more, and [[Browsing (herbivory)|browse]] less than their European relatives. Their anatomies reflect this behavioural difference; the American bison's head hangs lower than the European's. The body of the American bison is typically hairier, though its tail has less hair than that of the European bison. The horns of the European bison point through the plane of their faces, making them more adept at fighting through the interlocking of horns in the same manner as domestic cattle, unlike the American bison, which favours butting.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Bison: A Natural History |last=Lott |first=Dale F. |publisher=University of California Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-520-24062-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/americanbisonnat0000lott }}</ref> American bison are more easily tamed than their European cousins, and breed with domestic cattle more readily.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Notice of the Various Species of Bovine Animals |editor=Newman, Edward |journal=The Zoologist |year=1859 |volume=17 |page=6362 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KbwtAQAAIAAJ&q=Zoologist:+A+Monthly+Journal+of+Natural+History+bison&pg=PA6362 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706230812/http://books.google.com/books?id=KbwtAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA6362&lpg=PA6362&dq=Zoologist:+A+Monthly+Journal+of+Natural+History+bison&source=bl&ots=0AxGurhp2N&sig=mqDPuwezuRDEFzh_7bA1hL2AyYw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=eYY_UsWBKYS8iwKNs4CADg&ved=0CE0Q6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Zoologist%3A%20A%20Monthly%20Journal%20of%20Natural%20History%20bison&f=false |archive-date=6 July 2014}}</ref>

==Evolution and genetic history==
The bovine tribe (Bovini) split about 5 to 10 million years ago into the buffalos (''[[Bubalus]]'' and ''[[Syncerus]]'') and a group leading to bison and [[Cattle|taurine cattle]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Maternal and Paternal Lineages in Cross-Breeding Bovine Species. Has Wisent a Hybrid Origin? |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution |volume=21 |issue=7 |pages=1165–1170 |date=22 January 2004 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msh064 |pmid=14739241 |last1=Verkaar |first1=Edward L. C. |last2=Nijman |first2=Isaäc J. |last3=Beeke |first3=Maurice |last4=Hanekamp |first4=Eline |last5=Lenstra |first5=Johannes A.|doi-access=free }}</ref> Genetic evidence from [[nuclear DNA]] indicates that the closest living relatives of bison are [[Wild yak|yaks]], with bison being nested within the genus ''[[Bos]],'' rendering ''Bos'' without including bison [[paraphyletic]]. While nuclear DNA indicates that both extant bison species are each other's closest living relatives, the [[mitochondrial DNA]] of European bison is more closely related to that of domestic cattle and [[aurochs]] (while the mitochondrial DNA of American bison is closely related to that of yaks). This discrepancy is either suggested to be the result of [[incomplete lineage sorting]] or ancient [[introgression]].<ref name="WangEtal2018">Wang, K., Lenstra, J. A., Liu, L., Hu, Q., Ma, T., Qiu, Q., & Liu, J. (2018). Incomplete lineage sorting rather than hybridization explains the inconsistent phylogeny of the wisent. Communications biology, 1(1), 1–9.</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Grange|first1=Thierry|last2=Brugal|first2=Jean-Philip|last3=Flori|first3=Laurence|last4=Gautier|first4=Mathieu|last5=Uzunidis|first5=Antigone|last6=Geigl|first6=Eva-Maria|date=September 2018|title=The Evolution and Population Diversity of Bison in Pleistocene and Holocene Eurasia: Sex Matters|journal=Diversity|language=en|volume=10|issue=3|page=65|doi=10.3390/d10030065|doi-access=free|bibcode=2018Diver..10...65G }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zver |first1=Lars |last2=Toškan |first2=Borut |last3=Bužan |first3=Elena |date=September 2021 |title=Phylogeny of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Bison species in Europe and North America |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1040618221002421 |journal=Quaternary International |language=en |volume=595 |pages=30–38 |doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.022 |bibcode=2021QuInt.595...30Z |url-access=subscription |archive-date=22 January 2023 |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122052423/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1040618221002421 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bison are widely believed to have evolved from a lineage belonging to the extinct genus ''[[Leptobos]]'' during the [[Piacenzian|Late Pliocene]] to [[Early Pleistocene]] in Asia. The earliest members of the bison lineage, known from the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of the Indian Subcontinent (''Bison sivalensis'') and China (''Bison palaeosinensis''), approximately 3.4-2.6 million years ago (Ma) are placed in the subgenus ''Bison'' (''Eobison'')''.'' The oldest remains of ''Eobison'' in Europe are those ''Bison georgicus'' found in [[Dmanisi historic site|Dmanisi]], Georgia, dated to around 1.76 Ma. More [[Primitive (phylogenetics)|derived]] members of the genus are placed in the subgenus ''Bison'' (''Bison''), which first appeared towards the end of the Early Pleistocene, around 1.2 Ma, with early members of the subgenus including the widespread ''[[Bison schoetensacki]]''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Sorbelli|first1=Leonardo|last2=Alba|first2=David M.|last3=Cherin|first3=Marco|last4=Moullé|first4=Pierre-Élie|last5=Brugal|first5=Jean-Philip|last6=Madurell-Malapeira|first6=Joan|date=2021-06-01|title=A review on Bison schoetensacki and its closest relatives through the early-Middle Pleistocene transition: Insights from the Vallparadís Section (NE Iberian Peninsula) and other European localities|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379121001402|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|language=en|volume=261|article-number=106933|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106933|bibcode=2021QSRv..26106933S |s2cid=235527116 |issn=0277-3791}}</ref>

The [[steppe bison]] (''Bison priscus'') first appeared during the mid-[[Middle Pleistocene]] in eastern Eurasia, and subsequently became widely distributed across Eurasia.<ref name=":2" /> During the late Middle Pleistocene, around 195,000-135,000 years ago, the steppe bison migrated across the [[Bering land bridge]] into North America, becoming ancestral to North American bison species, including the large ''[[Bison latifrons]],'' and the smaller ''[[Bison antiquus]],'' which became extinct at the end of the Late Pleistocene.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Froese|first1=Duane|last2=Stiller|first2=Mathias|last3=Heintzman|first3=Peter D.|last4=Reyes|first4=Alberto V.|last5=Zazula|first5=Grant D.|last6=Soares|first6=André E. R.|last7=Meyer|first7=Matthias|last8=Hall|first8=Elizabeth|last9=Jensen|first9=Britta J. L.|last10=Arnold|first10=Lee J.|last11=MacPhee|first11=Ross D. E.|date=2017-03-28|title=Fossil and genomic evidence constrains the timing of bison arrival in North America|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=114|issue=13|pages=3457–3462|doi=10.1073/pnas.1620754114|issn=0027-8424|pmid=28289222|pmc=5380047 |bibcode=2017PNAS..114.3457F |doi-access=free }}</ref> Modern American bison are thought to have evolved from ''B.&nbsp;antiquus'' during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene transition via the intermediate form ''[[Bison occidentalis]]''.<ref name="Wilsonetal.2008">{{cite journal|last1=Wilson|first1=M.C.|last2=Hills|first2=L.V.|last3=Shapiro|first3=B.|year=2008|title=Late Pleistocene northward-dispersing ''Bison antiquus'' from the Bighill Creek Formation, Gallelli Gravel Pit, Alberta, Canada, and the fate of ''Bison occidentalis''|journal=Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences|volume=45|issue=7|pages=827–59|bibcode=2008CaJES..45..827W|doi=10.1139/E08-027}}</ref> The European bison, ''Bison bonasus,'' first appeared in Europe during the late Middle Pleistocene, where it existed in [[sympatry]] with the steppe bison. Its relationship with other extinct bison species is unclear, though it appears to be only distantly related to the steppe and American bisons, with possibly some interbreeding between the two lineages during the Middle Pleistocene.<ref name=":4" /> The steppe bison survived into the early-mid [[Holocene]] in Alaska-Yukon and eastern Siberia, before becoming extinct.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Boeskorov|first1=Gennady G.|last2=Potapova|first2=Olga R.|last3=Protopopov|first3=Albert V.|last4=Plotnikov|first4=Valery V.|last5=Agenbroad|first5=Larry D.|last6=Kirikov|first6=Konstantin S.|last7=Pavlov|first7=Innokenty S.|last8=Shchelchkova|first8=Marina V.|last9=Belolyubskii|first9=Innocenty N.|last10=Tomshin|first10=Mikhail D.|last11=Kowalczyk|first11=Rafal|date=June 2016|title=The Yukagir Bison: The exterior morphology of a complete frozen mummy of the extinct steppe bison, Bison priscus from the early Holocene of northern Yakutia, Russia|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1040618215012100|journal=Quaternary International|language=en|volume=406|pages=94–110|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2015.11.084|bibcode=2016QuInt.406...94B |s2cid=133244037 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Zazula|first1=Grant D.|last2=Hall|first2=Elizabeth|last3=Hare|first3=P. Gregory|last4=Thomas|first4=Christian|last5=Mathewes|first5=Rolf|last6=La Farge|first6=Catherine|last7=Martel|first7=André L.|last8=Heintzman|first8=Peter D.|last9=Shapiro|first9=Beth|date=November 2017|title=A middle Holocene steppe bison and paleoenvironments from the Versleuce Meadows, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada|url=http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/cjes-2017-0100|journal=Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences|language=en|volume=54|issue=11|pages=1138–1152|doi=10.1139/cjes-2017-0100|bibcode=2017CaJES..54.1138Z|hdl=1807/78639|s2cid=54951935|issn=0008-4077|hdl-access=free|archive-date=1 August 2020|access-date=16 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801194121/https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/cjes-2017-0100|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Euroameribison.jpg|thumb|Skulls of European bison (left) and American bison (right)]]

Prior to the late 19th century, the population of American bison likely numbered in the tens of millions, perhaps as many as 60 million.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hedrick |first=P. W. |date=2009-07-01 |title=Conservation Genetics and North American Bison (Bison bison) |url=https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/jhered/esp024 |journal=Journal of Heredity |language=en |volume=100 |issue=4 |pages=411–420 |doi=10.1093/jhered/esp024 |pmid=19414501 |issn=0022-1503|url-access=subscription }}</ref> During the population bottleneck caused by the great slaughter of American bison during the 19th century, the number of bison remaining alive in North America declined to as low as 541. During that period, a handful of ranchers gathered remnants of the existing herds to save the species from extinction. These ranchers bred some of the bison with cattle in an effort to produce "cattleo"<ref name="Halbert2007" /> (today called "[[beefalo]]"). Accidental crossings were also known to occur. Generally, male domestic bulls were crossed with bison cows, producing offspring of which only the females were fertile. The crossbred animals did not demonstrate any form of [[Heterosis|hybrid vigor]], so the practice was abandoned. Wisent-American bison hybrids were briefly experimented with in Germany (and found to be fully fertile) and a herd of such animals is maintained in Russia. First-generation crosses do not occur naturally, requiring caesarean delivery. First-generation males are infertile. The U.S. National Bison Association has adopted a code of ethics that prohibits its members from deliberately crossbreeding bison with any other species. In the United States, many ranchers are now using DNA testing to cull the residual cattle genetics from their bison herds. The proportion of cattle DNA that has been measured in introgressed individuals and bison herds today is typically quite low, ranging from 0.56 to 1.8%.<ref name=Halbert2007/><ref name=Polziehn/>

There are also remnant purebred American bison herds on public lands in North America. Two subspecies of bison exist in North America: the ''plains bison'' and the ''wood bison''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bison |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bison |access-date=2023-07-23 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |language=en}}</ref> Herds of importance are found in [[Yellowstone National Park]], [[Wind Cave National Park]] in [[South Dakota]], [[Blue Mounds State Park]] in [[Minnesota]], [[Elk Island National Park]] in [[Alberta]], and [[Grasslands National Park]] in [[Saskatchewan]]. In 2015, a purebred herd of 350 individuals was identified on public lands in the [[Henry Mountains]] of southern [[Utah]] via [[genetic testing]] of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Genetic Analysis of the Henry Mountains Bison Herd |vauthors=Ranglack DH, Dobson LK, du Toit JT, Derr J|journal=PLOS ONE|date=17 December 2015 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0144239 |volume=10 |issue=12 |article-number=e0144239 |pmid=26673758 |pmc=4682953 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1044239R|doi-access=free}}</ref> This study, published in 2015, also showed the [[Henry Mountains bison herd]] to be free of [[brucellosis]], a bacterial disease that was imported with non-native domestic cattle to North America.<ref>{{cite journal |title=On the Origin of Brucellosis in Bison of Yellowstone National Park: A Review |author=Mary Meagher, Margaret E. Meyer |journal=Conservation Biology |date=September 1994 |jstor=2386505 |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=645–653 |doi=10.1046/j.1523-1739.1994.08030645.x|bibcode=1994ConBi...8..645M }}</ref>

In 2021, the [[American Society of Mammalogists]] considered ''Bison'' to be a subgenus, and placed both bison species back into ''[[Bos]]''.<ref>Groves, C. P. & Grubb, P. 2011. Ungulate taxonomy. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.|Wang, K., Lenstra, J. A., Liu, L., Hu, Q., Ma, T., Qiu, Q., & Liu, J. (2018). Incomplete lineage sorting rather than hybridization explains the inconsistent phylogeny of the wisent. Communications biology, 1(1), 1–9. Accessed at https://www.mammaldiversity.org/explore.html#species-id=1006256 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028140029/https://www.mammaldiversity.org/explore.html#species-id=1006256 |date=28 October 2020 }}.</ref>{{failed verification|reason=This source does not declare Bison to be a subgenus so much as moving the species directly into Bos|date=November 2022}}

Relationships of bovines based on nuclear DNA, after Sinding, et al. 2021.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sinding |first1=M.-H. S. |last2=Ciucani |first2=M. M. |last3=Ramos-Madrigal |first3=J. |last4=Carmagnini |first4=A. |last5=Rasmussen |first5=J. A. |last6=Feng |first6=S. |last7=Chen |first7=G. |last8=Vieira |first8=F. G. |last9=Mattiangeli |first9=V. |last10=Ganjoo |first10=R. K. |last11=Larson |first11=G. |last12=Sicheritz-Pontén |first12=T. |last13=Petersen |first13=B. |last14=Frantz |first14=L. |last15=Gilbert |first15=M. T. P. |date=2021 |title=Kouprey (''Bos sauveli'') genomes unveil polytomic origin of wild Asian Bos |journal=iScience |volume=24 |issue=11 |article-number=103226 |bibcode=2021iSci...24j3226S |doi=10.1016/j.isci.2021.103226 |pmc=8531564 |pmid=34712923}}</ref>

{{clade
|1=[[Bubalina]] (true buffalo)
|label2=''[[Bos]]''
|2={{clade
|1= ''[[Bos primigenius]]'' +''[[Bos taurus]]'' (aurochs and cattle)
|2={{clade
|1={{clade
|1=''[[Bos mutus]]'' (wild yak)
|label2=''Bison''
|2={{clade
|1=''[[Bison bison]]'' (American bison)
|2=''[[Bison bonasus]]'' (European bison/wisent)
}}}}
|2={{clade
|1=''[[Bos javanicus]]'' (banteng)
|2=''[[Bos gaurus]]'' (gaur)
|3=''[[Bos sauveli]]'' (kouprey)
}}}}}}}}

==Behavior==
[[File:Muybridge Buffalo galloping.gif|thumb|left|A group of images by [[Eadweard Muybridge]], set to motion to illustrate the movement of the bison]]
[[Image:Buffalo charges Elk near old faithful - panoramio.jpg|thumb|A bison charges an [[elk]] in Yellowstone National Park.]]
[[Wallowing in animals|Wallowing]] is a common behavior of bison. A ''bison wallow'' is a shallow depression in the soil, either wet or dry. Bison roll in these depressions, covering themselves with mud or dust. Possible explanations suggested for wallowing behavior include grooming behavior associated with moulting, male-male interaction (typically [[Rut (mammalian reproduction)|rutting]] behavior), social behavior for group cohesion, play behavior, relief from skin irritation due to biting insects, reduction of [[Parasitism|ectoparasite]] load ([[tick]]s and [[Louse|lice]]), and thermoregulation.<ref name="JSTOR">{{cite journal |last1=McMillan |first1=B. R. |last2=Cottam |first2=M. R. |last3=Kaufman |first3=D. W. |title=Wallowing Behavior of American Bison (''Bos bison'')|journal=American Midland Naturalist| volume=144| issue=1| pages=159–167| jstor=3083019| doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2000)144[0159:wboabb]2.0.co;2|year=2000|s2cid=86223655 }}</ref> In the process of wallowing, bison may become infected by the fatal disease [[anthrax]], which may occur naturally in the soil.<ref name="Anthrax kills bison in southern N.W.T.">{{cite news| title = Anthrax kills bison in southern N.W.T.| publisher = CBC.CA| date = 8 July 2006| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/anthrax-kills-bison-in-southern-n-w-t-1.574773| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090106084314/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2006/07/06/anthrax-nwt-bison.html| archive-date = 6 January 2009}}</ref>

Bison temperament is often unpredictable. They usually appear peaceful, unconcerned, or even lazy, but they may attack without warning or apparent reason. They can move at speeds up to {{convert|35|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on}} and cover long distances at a lumbering gallop.<ref name="NPS">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100303175945/http://www.nps.gov/archive/wica/bison.htm American Bison]. nps.gov</ref>

Their most obvious weapons are the horns borne by both males and females, but their massive heads can be used as battering rams, effectively using the momentum produced by what is a typical weight of {{convert|2000|to|2700|lb|kg|order=flip|-2}} moving at {{convert|30|mph|km/h|order=flip|abbr=on|sigfig=1}}. The hind legs can also be used to kill or maim with devastating effect. In the words of early naturalists, they were dangerous, savage animals that feared no other animal and in prime condition could best any foe except for a brown bear or a pack of wolves.<ref name="NPS"/><ref name="headsmashedin"/><ref name=Carbyn/>

The rutting, or mating, season lasts from June through September, with peak activity in July and August. At this time, the older bulls rejoin the herd, and fights often take place between bulls. The herd exhibits much restlessness during breeding season. The animals are belligerent, unpredictable, and most dangerous.<ref name="NPS"/>

==Habitat==
{{stack|[[File:The last of the Canadian buffaloes Photo No 580 (HS85-10-13487).jpg|thumb|''Last of the Canadian Buffaloes'' (1902; photograph: Steele and Company)]]}}
[[American bison]] live in river valleys and on prairies and plains. Typical habitat is open or semiopen grasslands, as well as sagebrush, semiarid lands, and scrublands. Some lightly wooded areas are also known historically to have supported bison. They also graze in hilly or mountainous areas where the slopes are not steep. Although not particularly known as high-altitude animals, bison in the [[Yellowstone Park bison herd]] are frequently found at elevations above {{convert|8000|ft|order=flip}}. The [[Henry Mountains bison herd]] is found on the plains around the [[Henry Mountains]], [[Utah]], as well as in mountain valleys of the Henry Mountains to an altitude of {{convert|10000|ft|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=van Vuren |first1=Dirk |last2=Bray |first2=Martin P. |title=Population Dynamics of Bison in the Henry Mountains, Utah |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |date=1986 |volume=67 |issue=3 |pages=503–511 |doi=10.2307/1381282 |jstor=1381282 }}</ref>

[[European bison]] most commonly live in lightly wooded to fully wooded areas as well as areas with increased shrubs and bushes. European bison can sometimes be found living on grasslands and plains as well.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kuemmerle |display-authors=etal |date=April 2010 |title=European Bison habitat in the Carpathian Mountains |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320709005461 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=143 |issue=4 |pages=908–916 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2009.12.038 |bibcode=2010BCons.143..908K |access-date=September 26, 2023 |via=Science Direct |url-access=subscription |archive-date=14 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414081442/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320709005461 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 26, 2023 |title=European Bison |url=https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/european-bison |access-date=September 26, 2023 |website=Rewilding Britain |archive-date=20 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220072859/https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/european-bison |url-status=live }}</ref>  A herd of cattle-wisent crossbreeds ([[zubron]]) is maintained in  Poland and Slovakia, specifically in the [[Carpathian Mountains]] within Poloniny National Park.

===Restrictions===
Throughout most of their historical range, landowners have sought restrictions on free-ranging bison. Herds on private land are required to be fenced in.<ref name=NYT4113>{{cite news |last=Robbins |first=Jim |title=On the Montana Range, Efforts to Restore Bison Meet Resistance |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/us/efforts-to-restore-bison-on-the-montana-range-resisted.html |access-date=2013-04-02 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2013-04-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402163559/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/us/efforts-to-restore-bison-on-the-montana-range-resisted.html |archive-date=2013-04-02 }}</ref>

In the state of [[Montana]], free-ranging bison on public land are legally shot, due to transmission of disease to cattle and damage to public property.<ref name=ICT41713>{{cite news |last=Jawort |first=Adrian|title=Shot, Left to Rot: Montana Officials Kill Bison Bull Wandering Outside Yellowstone National Park |url=http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/17/shot-left-rot-montana-officials-kill-bison-bull-wandering-outside-yellowstone-national |access-date=18 April 2013|newspaper=Indian Country Today |date=2013-04-17 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130418005235/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/17/shot-left-rot-montana-officials-kill-bison-bull-wandering-outside-yellowstone-national|archive-date=2013-04-18 }}</ref>

In 2013, Montana legislative measures concerning the bison were proposed and passed, but opposed by Native American tribes as they impinged on sovereign tribal rights. Three such bills were vetoed by [[Steve Bullock (American politician)|Steve Bullock]], the governor of Montana. The bison's circumstances remain an issue of contention between Native American tribes and private landowners.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/05/12/montana-governor-vetoes-three-anti-bison-bills-lets-hunt-stand-149320 | title=Montana Governor Vetoes Three Anti-Bison Bills, Lets the Hunt Stand | publisher=[[Indian Country Today]] Media Network | access-date=2013-06-17 |date=2013-05-12 |first=Terri |last=Hansen | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522195247/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/05/12/montana-governor-vetoes-three-anti-bison-bills-lets-hunt-stand-149320 | archive-date=2013-05-22 }}</ref>

==Diet==
[[File:Elk and Bison inYellowstone, Wyoming.jpg|thumb|A bison and a bull elk grazing together in Yellowstone National Park]]
Bison are [[ruminant]]s, able to ferment [[cellulose]] in a specialized stomach prior to digestion. Bison were once thought to almost exclusively consume grasses and sedges, but are now known to consume a wide-variety of plants including woody plants and herbaceous [[eudicots]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Craine|first1=Joseph M.|last2=Towne|first2=E. Gene|last3=Miller|first3=Mary|last4=Fierer|first4=Noah|date=2015-11-16|title=Climatic warming and the future of bison as grazers|journal=Scientific Reports|language=En|volume=5|issue=1|article-number=16738|doi=10.1038/srep16738|pmid=26567987|pmc=4645125|bibcode=2015NatSR...516738C|issn=2045-2322}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Leonard|first1=Joshua L.|last2=Perkins|first2=Lora B.|last3=Lammers|first3=Duane J.|last4=Jenks|first4=Jonathan A.|title=Are Bison Intermediate Feeders? Unveiling Summer Diet Selection at the Northern Fringe of Historical Distribution|journal=Rangeland Ecology & Management|volume=70|issue=4|pages=405–410|doi=10.1016/j.rama.2017.01.005|year=2017|bibcode=2017REcoM..70..405L |s2cid=90039614}}</ref> Over the course of the year, bison shift which plants they select in their diet based on which plants have the highest protein or energy concentrations at a given time and will reliably consume the same species of plants across years.<ref name=":0" /> Protein concentrations of the plants they eat tend to be highest in the spring and decline thereafter, reaching their lowest in the winter.<ref name=":0" /> In Yellowstone National Park, bison browsed willows and cottonwoods, not only in the winter when few other plants are available, but also in the summer.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Painter|first1=Luke E.|last2=Ripple|first2=William J.|title=Effects of bison on willow and cottonwood in northern Yellowstone National Park|journal=Forest Ecology and Management|volume=264|pages=150–158|doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2011.10.010|year=2012|bibcode=2012ForEM.264..150P }}</ref> Bison are thought to migrate to optimize their diet,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Frank|first1=Douglas A.|last2=McNaughton|first2=Samuel J.|last3=Tracy|first3=Benjamin F.|date=1998-07-01|title=The Ecology of the Earth's Grazing Ecosystems|journal=BioScience|language=en|volume=48|issue=7|pages=513–521|doi=10.2307/1313313|issn=0006-3568|jstor=1313313|doi-access=free}}</ref> and will concentrate their feeding on recently burned areas due to the higher quality forage that regrows after the burn.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Allred|first1=Brady W.|last2=Fuhlendorf|first2=Samuel D.|last3=Engle|first3=David M.|last4=Elmore|first4=R. Dwayne|date=2011-10-01|title=Ungulate preference for burned patches reveals strength of fire–grazing interaction|journal=Ecology and Evolution|language=en|volume=1|issue=2|pages=132–144|doi=10.1002/ece3.12|pmid=22393490|pmc=3287302|bibcode=2011EcoEv...1..132A |issn=2045-7758}}</ref> Wisent tend to browse on shrubs and low-hanging trees more often than do the American bison, which prefer grass to shrubbery and trees.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baskin|first1=Leonid|last2=Danell|first2=Kjell|title=Ecology of ungalates|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UbboCAAAQBAJ&q=wisent+bison+diets&pg=PA190|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|access-date=15 January 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111150652/https://books.google.com/books?id=UbboCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA190&lpg=PA190&dq=wisent+bison+diets&source=bl&ots=LKO-k2x40b&sig=UL9nZZDE6Gh-Pb7QSainAKFppV4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic3KfawMPRAhWB5oMKHVn8B6oQ6AEIgQEwEg|archive-date=11 January 2018|isbn=978-3-662-06820-5|date=2013-04-17}}</ref>

== Reproduction ==
[[File:Bison with its young.jpg|thumb|A bison calf resting with its mother]]
Female bison ("cows") typically reproduce after three years of age<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Craine|display-authors=et al|date=2013|title=Precipitation timing and grazer performance in a tallgrass prairie|journal=Oikos|volume=122|issue=2|pages=191–198|doi=10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.20400.x|bibcode=2013Oikos.122..191C }}</ref> and can continue beyond 19 years of age.<ref name=":1" /> Cows produce calves annually as long as their nutrition is sufficient, but not after years when weight gain is low. Reproduction is dependent on a cow's mass and age.<ref name=":1" /> Heavier cows produce heavier calves (weighed in the fall at weaning), and weights of calves are lower for older cows (after age 8).<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Hamel|first=Sandra|date=2012|title=Maternal allocation in bison: co-occurrence of senescence, cost of reproduction, and individual quality|journal=Ecological Applications|volume=22|issue=5|pages=1628–1639|doi=10.1890/11-2181.1|pmid=22908718|bibcode=2012EcoAp..22.1628H }}</ref>

==Predators==
[[File:Journal.pone.0112884.g001 a.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Wolves hunting bison in Yellowstone National Park]]
Owing to their size, bison have few predators. Five exceptions are [[humans]], [[grey wolves]], [[cougar]]s, [[grizzly bear]]s, and [[coyote]]s.<ref name="3of5pred">{{cite web|last=Newell|first=Toni Lynn|title=ADW: ''Bison bison'': Information|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Bison_bison/|work=Animal Diversity Web at the University of Michigan|access-date=21 June 2013|author2=Anna Bess Sorin|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624134300/http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Bison_bison/|archive-date=24 June 2013}}</ref> Wolves generally take down a bison while in a pack, but cases of a single wolf killing bison have been reported.<ref name="Carbyn" /> Grizzly bears also consume bison, often by driving off the pack and consuming the wolves' kill.<ref name="headsmashedin" /> Grizzly bears and coyotes also prey on bison calves. Historically and prehistorically, [[lion]]s, [[cave lion (disambiguation)|cave lion]]s, [[tiger]]s, [[dire wolf|dire wolves]], ''[[Smilodon]]'', ''[[Homotherium]]'', [[cave hyena]]s, and [[Neanderthals]] posed threats to bison.

==Infections and illness==
For American bison, a main illness is [[malignant catarrhal fever]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Durham |first=Sharon |year=2010 |title=Figuring out puzzling animal diseases |journal=Agricultural Research |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=12–13 |url=https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2010/apr/animal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405072452/http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr10/animal0410.htm |archive-date=5 April 2010}}</ref> though [[brucellosis]] is a serious concern in the Yellowstone Park bison herd.<ref name="billingsgazette/carcasses-yellowstone">{{cite news |last1=French |first1=Brett |title=Bison carcasses cleaned up outside Yellowstone following heavy winter of hunting |url=https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/bison-carcasses-cleaned-up-outside-yellowstone-following-heavy-winter-of-hunting/article_57582c7a-bd2a-11ed-9e2d-bf5dc2a95e01.html |access-date=12 March 2023 |work=[[Billings Gazette]] |language=en}}</ref> Bison in the [[Antelope Island bison herd]] are regularly inoculated against brucellosis, parasites, ''Clostridium'' infection, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, and bovine vibriosis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.utah.com/schmerker/1999/bison.htm |title=Island Named for Antelope, the Bison |publisher=Utah.com |access-date=2013-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603204741/http://www.utah.com/schmerker/1999/bison.htm |archive-date=3 June 2013}}</ref>

The major illnesses in European bison are [[foot-and-mouth disease]] and [[balanoposthitis]].<ref name=ebcc>{{cite web | url=http://www.bison-ebcc.eu/about-european-bison/actual-main-and-potential-threats/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904023933/http://www.bison-ebcc.eu/about-european-bison/actual-main-and-potential-threats/ |archive-date=2012-09-04 | title=Actual, and Potential Threats | publisher=European Bison Conservation Center | access-date=2013-06-17}}</ref> Inbreeding of a small population plays a role in a number of genetic defects and lowers immunity to disease; that poses greater risk to the population.<ref name=ebcc /> Male european bison are also at risk of the incurable and often fatal disease [[posthitis]] which is seen as a large threat to the remaining population of wild european bison.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Kunvar | first1=Sazia | last2=Czarnomska | first2=Sylwia | last3=Pertoldi | first3=Cino | last4=Stronen | first4=Astrid V. | last5=Ruczyńska | first5=Iwona | last6=Tokarska | first6=Małgorzata | title=A lethal disease of the European bison – posthitis is conditionally determined by its genomics | journal=Scientific Reports | date=2025 | volume=15 | issue=1 | article-number=4483 | doi=10.1038/s41598-025-88702-0 | pmid=39915645 | bibcode=2025NatSR..15.4483K | pmc=11802879 }}</ref>

== Name ==
The name 'bison' was first used for the [[European bison#Etymology|European species]]— [[ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] authors [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] and [[Oppian]] in 2nd-century AD wrote about them in Greek as {{Lang|grc-x-hellen|βίσων}} ''bisōn'';<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=|first=|url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/19486|title=bison, ''n''.|work=Oxford English Dictionary|publisher=|year=2011|isbn=|edition=online 2nd|location=|pages=|access-date=11 January 2021|orig-date=1989}}</ref> so did [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] authors [[Pliny the Elder]] and [[Gaius Julius Solinus]] (as [[Latin]] {{Lang|la|bĭson}}).<ref name=":3" /> The Germanic name 'wisent' is a [[cognate]], meaning that the two words share a common origin.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mallory |first1=J.P. |last2=Adams |first2=D.Q. |date=1997 |title=[[Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture]] |location=London [etc.] |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn |pages=136–7 |isbn=1-884964-98-2}}</ref> The Latin {{Lang|la|bĭson}} was made into a genus name by [[Charles Hamilton Smith ]] in 1827.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Palmer | first=T.S. | title=Index Generum Mammalium: a List of the Genera and Families of Mammals | url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700949/m2/1/high_res_d/nafa.23.0001.pdf | year=1904 | journal=North American Fauna | volume=23 | page=137 | doi=10.3996/nafa.23.0001 | doi-access=free | archive-date=6 February 2025 | access-date=4 November 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206005133/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700949/m2/1/high_res_d/nafa.23.0001.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>

Although called "buffalo" in American English, they are only distantly related to two "true buffalo", the Asian [[water buffalo]] and the [[African buffalo]]. [[Samuel de Champlain]] applied the French term ''buffle'' to the bison in 1616 (published 1619), after seeing skins and a drawing shown to him by members of the [[Nipissing First Nation]], who said they travelled 40 days (from east of Lake Huron) to trade with another nation who hunted the animals.<ref>Champlain, Samuel, Henry P. Biggar. 1929. The Works of Samuel de Champlain, vol 3. Toronto: Champlain Society. p. 105.</ref> Though "bison" might be considered more scientifically correct, "buffalo" is also considered correct as a result of standard usage in American English, and is listed in many dictionaries as an acceptable name for American buffalo or bison. "Buffalo" has a much longer history than "bison", which was first recorded in 1774.<ref>''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', Fourth Edition.</ref>

==Bison and human culture==
{{See also|Conservation of American bison}}
[[File:Milwaukee Public Museum March 2023 31 (North American Indians- A Tribute to Survival--Crow Indian Bison Hunt).jpg|thumb|Photo of a Native American Bison Hunt diorama located at the Milwaukee Public Museum in Wisconsin]]
Bison was a significant resource for [[Native Americans in the United States|indigenous peoples of North America]] for food and raw materials until near extinction in the late 19th century. For the [[Plains Indians|indigenous peoples of the Plains]], it was their principal food source.<ref>Driver, Harold E. (1969). ''Indians of North America, 2d edition, revised.'' The University of Chicago Press.</ref> Native Americans highly valued their relationship with the bison and saw them as sacred, treating them respectfully to ensure their abundance and longevity. In his biography, [[Lakota people|Lakota]] teacher and elder [[John Fire Lame Deer]] describes the relationship as such:<ref>Lame Deer, John (Fire) and Richard Erdoes. (1994). ''Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions.'' Simon & Schuster. {{ISBN|978-0671888022}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|The buffalo gave us everything we needed. Without it we were nothing. Our tipis were made of his skin. His hide was our bed, our blanket, our winter coat. It was our drum, throbbing through the night, alive, holy. Out of his skin we made our water bags. His flesh strengthened us, became flesh of our flesh. Not the smallest part of it was wasted. His stomach, a red-hot stone dropped into it, became our soup kettle. His horns were our spoons, the bones our knives, our women's awls and needles. Out of his sinews we made our bowstrings and thread. His ribs were fashioned into sleds for our children, his hoofs became rattles. His mighty skull, with the pipe leaning against it, was our sacred altar. The name of the greatest of all [[Sioux]] was [[Sitting Bull|Tatanka Iyotake—Sitting Bull]]. When you killed off the buffalo you also killed the Indian—the real, natural, "wild" Indian.}}

[[File:Bison skull pile edit.jpg|thumb|Photo from 1892 of a pile of American bison skulls waiting to be ground for [[fertilizer]]]]
European colonials were almost exclusively accountable for the near-extinction of the American bison in the 19th century. At the beginning of the century, tens of millions of bison roamed North America. Colonists slaughtered an estimated 50 million bison during the 19th century, although the causes of decline and the numbers killed are disputed and debated.<ref name="natgeo">{{cite web | url=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/american-bison/ | title=American Bison, ''Bison bison'' | website=National Geographic | date=10 May 2011 | access-date=2013-06-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620091201/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/american-bison/ | archive-date=20 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/16/science/historians-revisit-slaughter-on-the-plains.html|title=Historians Revisit Slaughter on the Plains|last=Robbins|first=Jim|date=1999-11-16|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-26|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226160505/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/16/science/historians-revisit-slaughter-on-the-plains.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Railroads were advertising "hunting by rail", where trains encountered large herds alongside or crossing the tracks. Men aboard fired from the train's roof or windows, leaving countless animals to rot where they died.<ref name="Smithsonian">{{cite web| url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/where-the-buffalo-no-longer-roamed-3067904/| title=Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed| website=Smithsonian.com| access-date=2017-03-18| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310184153/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/where-the-buffalo-no-longer-roamed-3067904/| archive-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> This overhunting was in part motivated by the U.S. government's desire to limit the range and power of indigenous plains Indians whose diets and cultures depended on the buffalo herds.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Isenberg |title=The Destruction of the Bison |pages=136–7, 151–2}}</ref> The overhunting of the bison reduced their population to hundreds.<ref name=fermiendangered>{{cite web|title=Are Bison an Endangered Species?|url=http://ed.fnal.gov/entry_exhibits/bison/endangered.html|work=Fermilab Science Education Office|publisher=Leon M. Lederman Science Education Center, Fermilab|access-date=21 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927055950/http://ed.fnal.gov/entry_exhibits/bison/endangered.html|archive-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

The American bison's nadir came in 1889, with an estimated population of only 1,091 animals (both wild and captive).<ref>C. Gordon Hewitt, Consulting Zoologist to the Commission of Conservation, Ottawa.</ref> Repopulation attempts via enforced protection of government herds and extensive [[ranching]] began in 1910 and have continued (with excellent success) to the present day, with some caveats. Extensive farming has increased the bison's population to nearly 150,000, and it is officially no longer considered an [[endangered species]].<ref name=fermiendangered/> However, from a genetic standpoint, most of these animals are actually hybrids with domestic cattle and only two populations in [[Yellowstone National Park]] in the United States and [[Elk Island National Park]] in Canada remain as genetically pure bison. These genetically pure animals account for only ~5% of the currently extant American bison population, reflecting the loss of most of the species' genetic diversity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/01/the-bison-calf-taking-the-first-step-to-rewild-the-canadian-prairies|title = The bison calf taking the first step to rewild the Canadian prairies|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = May 2020}}</ref>

As of July 2015, an estimated 4,900 bison lived in [[Yellowstone National Park]], the largest U.S. bison population on public land.<ref>Geremia C, Wallen R, White PJ. [http://www.ibmp.info/Library/OpsPlans/2016_BisonRemovalRecommendations_NPS.pdf Population dynamics and adaptive management of Yellowstone bison.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328212257/http://www.ibmp.info/Library/OpsPlans/2016_BisonRemovalRecommendations_NPS.pdf |date=28 March 2016 }} Mammoth Hot Springs, WY: Yellowstone National Park, National Park Service; 2015.</ref> During 1983–1985 visitors experienced 33 bison-related injuries (range = 10–13/year), so the park implemented education campaigns. After years of success, five injuries associated with bison encounters occurred in 2015, because visitors did not maintain the required distance of 75&nbsp;ft (23 m) from bison while hiking or taking pictures.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Cherry | first1 = C | last2 = Leong | first2 = K | last3 = Wallen | first3 = R | last4 = Buttke | first4 = D | year = 2016 | title = Notes from the Field. Injuries Associated with Bison Encounters — Yellowstone National Park, 2015 | url = https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6511a5.htm | journal = MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep | volume = 65 | issue = 11 | pages = 293–294 | doi = 10.15585/mmwr.mm6511a5 | pmid = 27010506 | doi-access = free | archive-date = 24 June 2017 | access-date = 8 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170624165147/https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6511a5.htm | url-status = live }}</ref>

==Livestock==

The earliest plausible accounts of captive bison are those of the zoo at [[Tenochtitlan]], the [[Aztec Empire|Aztec]] capital, which held an animal the Spaniards called "the Mexican bull".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nicholson |first1=Henry B. |title=Montezuma's Zoo |journal=Pacific Discovery |date=1955 |volume=8/4 |pages=3–11}}</ref> In 1552, [[Francisco Lopez de Gomara]] described [[Plains Indians]] herding and leading bison like cattle in his controversial book, ''[[Historia general de las Indias]]''. Gomara, having never visited the Americas himself, likely misinterpreted early ethnographic accounts as the more familiar pastoralist relationship of the [[Old World]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Latcham |first1=Ricardo E. |title=Los animales domesticos de la America pre-Columbiana |date=1922 |publisher=Museo de Etnologia y Antropologia Publication 3; Cervantes |location=Santiago, Chile |pages=150–151}}</ref> Today, bison are increasingly raised for [[meat]], [[Hide (skin)|hide]]s, and [[wool]] products. The majority of bison in the world are raised for human consumption or fur clothing. Bison meat is generally considered to taste very similar to beef, but is lower in fat and [[cholesterol]], yet higher in protein than beef. A market even exists for [[kashrut|kosher]] bison meat; these bison are slaughtered at one of the few kosher mammal slaughterhouses in the U.S. and Canada, and the meat is then distributed worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat-catfish/bison-farm-table|title=Bison from Farm to Table|publisher=USDA|access-date=6 January 2017|archive-date=7 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241107141437/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat-catfish/bison-farm-table}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=67&d=99&a=1056&w=2&r=Y |title=&#124; National Bison Association |publisher=Bisoncentral.com |access-date=19 February 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110120234037/http://bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=67&d=99&a=1056&w=2&r=Y| archive-date= 20 January 2011 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ca>Terry Kremeniuk. "Bison Farming". ''Canadian Encyclopedia''. Historica-Dominion. 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2013, from HighBeam Research: {{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-215985740.html |title=Bison Farming |date=January 2012 |access-date=2013-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611124613/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-215985740.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}}</ref> [[Beefalo]] have been advertised as a hybrid breed between bison and cattle, but many beefalo, including the original pedigree founding herd of the breed, have no detectable bison ancestry.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Shapiro |first1=Beth |last2=Oppenheimer |first2=Jonas |display-authors=1 |date=2024 |title=Most Beefalo cattle have no detectable bison genetic ancestry |url=https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/102750v1 |journal=eLife |volume=13 |doi=10.7554/elife.102750.1.sa3 |doi-access=free |archive-date=2 February 2025 |access-date=4 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250202223220/https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/102750v1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In America, the commercial industry for bison has been slow to develop despite individuals, such as [[Ted Turner]], who have long marketed bison meat.{{r|BDC 2011-10-30}} In the 1990s, Turner found limited success with restaurants for high-quality cuts of meat, which include bison steaks and tenderloin.<ref name=farming>Haddad, Charles. "Bison Meat Slow to Catch On, But Turner Sees Promise". ''Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News''. McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 1999. Retrieved 18 June 2013, from HighBeam Research: {{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54342001.html |title=Bison Meat Slow to Catch On, But Turner Sees Promise|date=11 April 1999 |access-date=2013-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611124619/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54342001.html |archive-date=11 June 2014}}</ref> Lower-quality cuts suitable for hamburger and hot dogs have been described as "almost nonexistent".<ref name=farming /> This created a marketing problem for commercial farming because the majority of usable meat, about 400 pounds for each bison, is suitable for these products.<ref name=farming /> In 2003, the United States Department of Agriculture purchased $10 million worth of frozen overstock to save the industry, which would later recover through better use of consumer marketing.<ref name=bone>Bone, Eugenia. "Bison's back: bravo for buffalo. We're saving the Western icon by eating it (again).(The next frontier)." ''Sunset''. Sunset Publishing Corp. 2008.  {{cite web |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-174197007 |title=Bison's Back: Bravo for Buffalo. We're Saving the Western Icon by Eating It (Again)" by Bone, Eugenia - Sunset, Vol. 220, Issue 2, February 2008  }}{{dead link|date=July 2021}}</ref> Restaurants have played a role in popularizing bison meat, like [[Ted's Montana Grill]], which added bison to their menus.<ref name="BDC 2011-10-30">{{Cite news|last=Schontzler|first=Gail|date=October 30, 2011|title=Citizen Turner: Billionaire makes homes in Montana, where the buffalo can roam|url=https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/100/newsmakers/citizen-turner-billionaire-makes-homes-in-montana-where-the-buffalo-can-roam/article_7ea3fcac-0286-11e1-948c-001cc4c002e0.html|access-date=2021-02-12|work=Bozeman Daily Chronicle|language=en|archive-date=2 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802074310/https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/100/newsmakers/citizen-turner-billionaire-makes-homes-in-montana-where-the-buffalo-can-roam/article_7ea3fcac-0286-11e1-948c-001cc4c002e0.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ruby Tuesday (restaurant)|Ruby Tuesday]] first offered bison on their menus in 2005.<ref name=bone />

In Canada, commercial bison farming began in the mid-1980s, concerning an unknown number of animals then.<ref name=ca/> The first census of the bison occurred in 1996, which recorded 45,235 bison on 745 farms, and grew to 195,728 bison on 1,898 farms for the 2006 census.<ref name=ca />

Several pet food companies use bison as a red meat alternative in dog foods. The companies producing these formulas include [[Natural Balance Pet Foods]], [[Freshpet]], the Blue Buffalo Company, Solid Gold, Canidae, and Taste of the Wild (made by Diamond Pet Foods, Inc., owned by Schell and Kampeter, Inc.).<ref>[https://www.dogfoodinsider.com/taste-of-the-wild-dog-food-review/ Taste Of The Wild Dog Food Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301230142/https://www.dogfoodinsider.com/taste-of-the-wild-dog-food-review/ |date=1 March 2021 }} DogFoodInsider.com</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bison hunting]]
* [[Gaur]]
* [[National Bison Day]] (1 November in the United States)
* [[Yellowstone Park bison herd]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=Carbyn>{{cite book|author1=Ludwig N. Carbyn|author2=S. Oosenbrug|author3=D. W. Anions|author4=Canadian Circumpolar Institute|title=Wolves, bison and the dynamics related to the Peace-Athabasca Delta in Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EINFAQAAIAAJ|access-date=10 July 2012|year=1993|publisher=Canadian Circumpolar Institute|isbn=978-0-919058-83-5}}</ref>
<ref name=Polziehn>{{cite journal |last1=Polziehn |first1=R. |last2=Strobeck |first2=C. |last3=Sheraton |first3=J. |last4=Beech |first4=R. |year=1995 |doi=10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.09061638.x |title=Bovine mtDNA Discovered in North American Bison Populations|journal= Conservation Biology|volume=9|issue=6|pages=1638–1643 (1642)|bibcode=1995ConBi...9.1638P }}</ref>

<ref name=Halbert2007>{{cite journal |last1=Halbert |first1=N. |last2=Gogan |first2=P. |last3=Hiebert |first3=R. |last4=Derr |first4=J. |year=2007 |title=Where the buffalo roam: The role of history and genetics in the conservation of bison on U.S. federal lands |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/parkscience/index.htm |journal=Park Science |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=22–29 |bibcode=2007PaSci..24...22H |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303115257/http://nature.nps.gov/parkscience/index.cfm?ArticleID=149 |archive-date=3 March 2013 }}</ref>

}}

==Bibliography==
* Boyd, Delaney P. (April 2003). [http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/esacitations/boydconservation.pdf Conservation of North American bison: status and recommendations (PDF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802074309/http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/esacitations/boydconservation.pdf |date=2 August 2022 }} (Thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. {{doi|10.11575/PRISM/22701}} {{OCLC| 232117310}} – via Buffalo Field Campaign
* Cunfer, Geoff and Bill Waiser. ''Bison and People on the North American Great Plains: A Deep Environmental History''. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2016.
* {{cite journal | last1 = Halbert | first1 = N | last2 = Derr | first2 = J | year = 1995 | title = A Comprehensive Evaluation of Cattle Introgression into US Federal Bison Herds | journal = Journal of Heredity | volume = 98 | issue = 1 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Nesheim | first1 = David A | year = 2012 | title = Profit, Preservation, and Shifting Definitions of Bison in American | journal = Environmental History | volume = 17 | issue = 3| pages = 547–77 | doi=10.1093/envhis/ems048}}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Ward | first1 = T. J. | last2 = Bielawski | first2 = J. P. | last3 = Davis | first3 = S. K. | last4 = Templeton | first4 = J. W. | last5 = Derr | first5 = J. N. | year = 1999 | title = Identification of Domestic Cattle Hybrids in Wild Cattle and Bison Species: A General Approach Using mtDNA Markers and the Parametric Bootstrap | doi = 10.1111/j.1469-1795.1999.tb00048.x | journal = Animal Conservation | volume =  2| issue = 1 | pages = 51–57 | bibcode = 1999AnCon...2...51W | s2cid = 4499543 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bison}}
{{EB1911 poster|Bison}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20180602052953/http://boldventure.info/ History of Bison Blend Cattle]}}

{{Artiodactyla|R.4}}
{{Meat}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q18099}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bison| ]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Holarctic realm]]
[[Category:Mammal genera]]
[[Category:Extant Gelasian first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Hamilton Smith]]
[[Category:Bovina (subtribe)]]