Who is larger, bison or bison? Bison (Bison bonasus): photos, species, interesting facts

The woolly bison (Bison bison), the North American hoofed mammal that for many people personifies the American West, is often called buffalo.

But even though they are in the same family group as the Old World buffalo species, the Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and the African butterfly buffalo (Syncerus caffer) bison, they are not closely related to those species. It means that common name"buffalo" is misleading.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife United States (USFWS), when the first European settlers arrived in North America, up to 60 million bison lived on the mainland's grasslands. These early settlers likely saw similarities between bison, the continent's largest land animal, and known species buffalo, the National Park Service (NPS) explained on its website. Settlers called the large animals "buffalo" and "buffalo" interchangeably, and the name "buffalo," although scientifically inaccurate, has stuck in our vernacular.

The error is somewhat understandable. Both bison and buffalo belong to family Bovidae which consists of more than 100 species of hoofed mammals called ungulates, including buffalo, bison, antelope, gazelle, cattle, sheep and goats. American bison are found only in North America, and its closest relative - the European bison (Bison bonasus) - can be found in Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, where there are about 1,800 free individuals, according to International Union nature conservation.

Bison likely first arrived in North America about 400,000 years ago, traveling across an ancient land bridge from Asia, according to the Department of the Interior (DOI). But while bison and buffalo are similar to large animals like cattle, there are striking physical differences that set them apart.

American bison - which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. (900 kilograms) - athletic, unusually massive head and significant shoulder hump covered with thick woolen fur. Huge, heavy muscles in the hump allow bison to use their heads as powerful snow clearers in the winter, pushing away snow muskies by swinging their heads from side to side, the NPS says. Bison may also use their heads as battering rams, drive out predators or compete for mates, the NPS said.

By comparison, buffaloes in Africa and Asia do not have a hump and their skulls are smaller than those of bison. But while they may fall short in head size, both buffalo species more than make up for it in the breadth of their impressive horns.

According to the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), Asian buffaloes have big horns crescents that curve upward and can extend up to 6 feet (2 meters) in length. Wild males can weigh more than 2,600 pounds. (1,200 kg), although domesticated Asiatic buffalo, which are widespread throughout Asia, typically weigh about twice that at about 1,200 lbs. (550 kg), EOL explained.

The African buffalo is native to the savannas and grasslands of the southern, western, eastern and central Africa, and the animals tend to congregate near water, according to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). Males are equipped with a head shield from which horns sprout, extend downward before returning to the back, and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. (680 kg), AWF reports.

Currently, approximately 10,000 wild bison continue to roam across 12 states in North America, where the animals feed for an average of 9 to 12 hours each day on weeds, grasses and leafy plants, according to DOI.

bison and bison. what's the difference? and got the best answer

Answer from Irina Ruderfer[guru]
Bison are a common genus of the bovid family (Bovidae) in the northern hemisphere.
Consists of two types - European bison(Bison bonasus) and American bison (Bison bison).
Thus, the bison is a European bison.
In its morphological characteristics, the bison is very close to the American bison; they are closely related in origin. Both species can interbreed without restrictions, producing fertile offspring - bison. For this reason, they are sometimes considered one species.
Bison live in societies, often in herds of 20,000 heads. Each herd is led by several old males, who guard it very carefully and vigilantly.
Unlike the bison, the bison is a typical forest animal, it never forms large herds, it stays in groups of five to ten animals, the herd is usually headed by the eldest female, and the male guards the herd.

Answer from Alexander Portnov[guru]
There are no bison (destroyed). I won’t answer what the difference is.

Answer from Now Malcolm himself. Yeah.[guru]
Bison in the Pushcha, bison in the pampas.

Answer from Nurzhan Turdaliev[guru]
in letters

Answer from Good Friend[active]
Yes, nothing. Immediate relatives. They produce fertile offspring when crossed. Bison settled in America, bison in Europe. But these are two branches of migration of the same species. Most likely, dividing them into two types is wrong.

Answer from Alexander Maly[guru]
The bison, or European bison (lat. Bison bonasus) is a species from the genus of bison of the bovid family (Bovidae). It is very close to the American bison and both species can interbreed without restrictions, producing fertile offspring - bison. For this reason, they are sometimes considered one species.

Characteristic

The bison is the heaviest and largest land mammals on the European continent and the last European representative of wild bulls. Its length is 330 cm, its shoulders are up to two meters, and its weight reaches one ton. Like its North American cousin, its coat is dark brown, but in young calves it is reddish. The head is noticeably short, lowered, with a pronounced “beard” and two small horns. The differences between bison and American bison are minor. The bison has a higher hump, different in shape, more long horns and tail. The bison's head is set higher than that of the bison. The body format of the bison fits into a square, while that of the bison fits into an elongated rectangle, that is, the bison has a longer back and shorter legs. In the hot season, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair, almost bald, while the bison has hair developed all over its body at all times of the year. Both species are approximately the same in size, although the American bison, due to its stockiness, looks more compact and stronger.
Within the species, two subspecies are distinguished - the Belovezhsk bison (B. b. bonansus) and the Caucasian bison (B. b. caucasus). The Caucasian bison differs from the Belovezhsky bison in having darker and curly hair, is slightly smaller in size, and was exterminated by people by 1927. In our time, bison introduced by humans live in the Caucasus.

Bison (lat. Bison) is a genus of the bovid family (Bovidae) widespread in the northern hemisphere. It consists of two species - the European bison (Bison bonasus) and the American bison (Bison bison).

Description

Abnormally light-colored bison at Lee G. Simons Safari Park, Ashland, Nebraska.
The bison reaches 2.5-3 meters in length and up to 2 meters in height. Its thick fur is gray-brown in color, and black-brown on the head and neck. The front of the body is covered more long hair. The head is massive, with a wide forehead; short thick horns diverge to the sides, but their ends are wrapped inward; ears are short and narrow; the eyes are large, dark, the neck is short.
Body with a hump at the nape; its rear part is developed much weaker than the front. The tail is short, with a long thick tuft of hair at the end. The legs are low, but very strong. Females are significantly smaller than males, weighing up to 1140 kg. The bison is very similar to the European bison, and some scientists believe that it is not a separate type, but there is only a modification of the bison.
Among the bison of the usual brown and light brown color, there may be individuals with a sharply abnormal color.

bison and bison. what's the difference? and got the best answer

Answer from Irina Ruderfer[guru]
Bison are a common genus of the bovid family (Bovidae) in the northern hemisphere.
It consists of two species - the European bison (Bison bonasus) and the American bison (Bison bison).
Thus, the bison is a European bison.
In its morphological characteristics, the bison is very close to the American bison; they are closely related in origin. Both species can interbreed without restrictions, producing fertile offspring - bison. For this reason, they are sometimes considered one species.
Bison live in societies, often in herds of 20,000 heads. Each herd is led by several old males, who guard it very carefully and vigilantly.
Unlike the bison, the bison is a typical forest animal, it never forms large herds, it stays in groups of five to ten animals, the herd is usually headed by the eldest female, and the male guards the herd.

Answer from Alexander Portnov[guru]
There are no bison (destroyed). I won’t answer what the difference is.

Answer from Now Malcolm himself. Yeah.[guru]
Bison in the Pushcha, bison in the pampas.

Answer from Nurzhan Turdaliev[guru]
in letters

Answer from Good Friend[active]
Yes, nothing. Immediate relatives. They produce fertile offspring when crossed. Bison settled in America, bison in Europe. But these are two branches of migration of the same species. Most likely, dividing them into two types is wrong.

Answer from Alexander Maly[guru]
The bison, or European bison (lat. Bison bonasus) is a species from the genus of bison of the bovid family (Bovidae). It is very close to the American bison and both species can interbreed without restrictions, producing fertile offspring - bison. For this reason, they are sometimes considered one species.

Characteristic

The bison is the heaviest and largest land mammal on the European continent and the last European wild bull. Its length is 330 cm, its shoulders are up to two meters, and its weight reaches one ton. Like its North American cousin, its coat is dark brown, but in young calves it is reddish. The head is noticeably short, lowered, with a pronounced “beard” and two small horns. The differences between bison and American bison are minor. The bison has a higher hump, different in shape, longer horns and a tail. The bison's head is set higher than that of the bison. The body format of the bison fits into a square, while that of the bison fits into an elongated rectangle, that is, the bison has a longer back and shorter legs. In the hot season, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair, almost bald, while the bison has hair developed all over its body at all times of the year. Both species are approximately the same in size, although the American bison, due to its stockiness, looks more compact and stronger.
Within the species, two subspecies are distinguished - the Belovezhsk bison (B. b. bonansus) and the Caucasian bison (B. b. caucasus). The Caucasian bison differs from the Belovezhsky bison in having darker and curly hair, is slightly smaller in size, and was exterminated by people by 1927. In our time, bison introduced by humans live in the Caucasus.

Bison (lat. Bison) is a genus of the bovid family (Bovidae) widespread in the northern hemisphere. It consists of two species - the European bison (Bison bonasus) and the American bison (Bison bison).

Description

Abnormally light-colored bison at Lee G. Simons Safari Park, Ashland, Nebraska.
The bison reaches 2.5-3 meters in length and up to 2 meters in height. Its thick fur is gray-brown in color, and black-brown on the head and neck. The front part of the body is covered with longer hair. The head is massive, with a wide forehead; short thick horns diverge to the sides, but their ends are wrapped inward; ears are short and narrow; the eyes are large, dark, the neck is short.
Body with a hump at the nape; its rear part is developed much weaker than the front. The tail is short, with a long thick tuft of hair at the end. The legs are low, but very strong. Females are significantly smaller than males, weighing up to 1140 kg. The bison is very similar to the European bison, and some scientists believe that it does not constitute a separate species, but is only a modification of the bison.
Among the bison of the usual brown and light brown color, there may be individuals with a sharply abnormal color.

The bison is the last representative of wild bulls in the fauna of Europe and the largest of the European ungulates. Its appearance is recognizable as bullish, but the bison can hardly be confused with any breed of cattle. It is proportionally taller than any domestic bull due to its high, raised withers, but at the same time it is relatively narrow at the shoulders. The head is massive with short, low-set, strongly curved horns. The bison's fur is rusty-brown, wavy or curly, which is especially noticeable on the neck and shoulders. On the throat and lower part of the neck, elongated hair forms a dewlap - a kind of “beard”, especially developed in adult bulls. The body length of a large bull bison can exceed three meters, and the weight can reach almost a ton, however, on average, their sizes are still somewhat smaller, and cows are about a third smaller than bulls and rarely weigh more than 500 kg.

In nature, bison live in small herds of three to twenty animals. The head of such a group is always an adult female, with whom her calves are kept. of different ages and usually several more cows with their offspring. Adult bulls, older than three years, can either join such a herd or live separately, alone (old males), or gathering in small “purely male” groups. In winter, near feeding areas, small herds of bison can unite into agglomerations of up to a hundred animals.

Free bison prefer sparse mixed and broadleaf forests with well-developed undergrowth, a large number clearings, clearings. Historically, bison apparently also lived in forest-steppes. The bison's diet includes about two hundred species of wild plants - grasses, shrubs, tree branches.

The bison's rutting season in natural conditions traditionally occurred in August-September. However, when kept in captivity - in the presence of nutritious food, shelters from bad weather - this regime has lost its way, and in modern bison the rut can begin at any comfortable time. weather conditions time. The bison's pregnancy lasts nine months. The calf rises to its feet within an hour and a half after birth, and after three weeks it begins to eat grass, although it continues to feed on milk for up to six months, or even up to a year. As a rule, the bison bears one calf, although twins can occasionally be born. In captivity, this happens annually, but in nature, most females participate in reproduction once every 2-3 years. The bison's natural enemies are primarily wolves, which occasionally attack young calves. In case of danger, bison protect the calf collectively, but in quiet times they may well show aggression towards someone else’s cub, left without the supervision of the mother, towards a young or weak animal.

Characteristic traces of life activity. The tracks and droppings (dung) of bison are similar to those of domestic cows. Bison tracks differ from deer tracks by very wide hoof prints, rounded at the front.

In Russia, several programs are currently being implemented to recreate wild populations of bison. In the European part, herds of free bison exist in the Vologda, Oryol, Kaluga and Bryansk regions(the largest herd, about two hundred heads - in national park"Oryol Polesie"). In the Prioksko-Terrasny and Oksky reserves there are bison nurseries, where you can come on a tour and look at these ancient animals, which miraculously escaped extinction, in conditions close to natural.

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The wars of the early 20th century left no chance of survival for these majestic beauties and contemporaries of the mammoth.
The last wild Caucasian bison were shot in the Western Caucasus in 1926, and the last lowland bison was killed in 1921 in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

The bison is the only species that was completely exterminated by humans in nature; by 1927, it survived only in captivity in zoos and zoos in the amount of 48 pieces, but today, thanks to many years of international coordinated work on its restoration, it is returning to nature.
From 1933 to 1939, there lived in the USSR a single purebred bison named Bodo, miraculously preserved in a reserve near Kherson.

All of today's bison are descended from just twelve individuals, that is, from a quarter of all bison preserved in captivity.

The only nature reserve in the Moscow region, Prioksko-Terrasny, is located 12 km from Serpukhov near the Oka River. It was founded in the late 40s by Mikhail Zablotsky, an outstanding zoologist. Thanks to his efforts, the first herds of bison re-settled in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in 1952.

This is one of the smallest nature reserves in Russia with an area of ​​about 5 thousand hectares. However, it is home to 142 species of birds and 57 species of wild mammals. The main attraction of the reserve is the bison - a wild forest bull, the largest ungulate animal in Europe.

The first bison named Puslaw arrived at the nursery from Warsaw on November 21, 1948, Zablotsky’s birthday. According to Mikhail Alexandrovich, it was the most best gift for his entire life. So the birthday of Mikhail Zablotsky became the birthday of the Central Bison Nursery.
Afterwards, several more animals arrived and subsequently the breeding herd was completed from its own young animals.

A visit to the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve traditionally begins with studying the set of prohibitions, which, as it turns out, are far from fully displayed on the information stand.

When we took out our televisions, the guide was shocked and said that photo sessions are paid separately. But there was no such information either at the box office or on the website. There is only a mention that filming with “additional equipment” is negotiated separately. But my letter asking what “additional equipment” was was ignored.
In the end, we still managed to take pictures, but the guide was very dissatisfied, and when we tried to have a normal and substantive conversation, he was offended and said that “there are surveillance cameras everywhere here” and he would “get screwed by the authorities.” That is, he decided that with such “big cameras” they take pictures only for the purpose of profit.

After reading my entire post, please tell me in the comments - how can I profit from this?

400 rubles per person for entry or 2 thousand for individual tour and now you are already on a path designated for humans, and behind the fence there are large areas with animals, which can sometimes be missed in the forest.
The guide stops the group every 200 meters and talks about facts from the life of the reserve.

The raven has the best vantage point.

About a kilometer along the quiet path, the first animals began to come across, mostly having already had breakfast and resting before dinner.

At birth, a small cat weighs 19-25 kilograms, and during its life of 19-23 years, the weight of an adult male can reach almost a ton.
At the same time, males live 10 years less than females - on average about 20 years.
The recorded life expectancy record for a male is 23 years, for a female - 30 years.

The gestation period for female bison is the same as for humans - 9 months. Animals only reach sexual maturity by 2.5 years.

In one of the enclosures, an adult male was goring a fallen tree, the energy needed to be spent somewhere, and it wouldn’t hurt to scratch the horns...

Now the world population of bison is about 4,500 animals, of which about 3,000 animals live in the wild.

By their nature, bison are rather timid, shy animals. In the forest, when free, they usually avoid meeting people and, when they see him, run away.
In the pens of the nursery they behave much more boldly, although they obey the bison breeders.

Bison remember very well the sounds that accompany the distribution of food. For example, in a nursery, bison come for breakfast and dinner (they do not have lunch) at the sound of a hunting horn or bugle.

Bison love acorns, and their favorite ones are tree species: willow, aspen and oak. Bison eat thin branches with leaves, strip off young trees and eat the bark.
In the nursery in summer time bison are fed twice a day with compound feed and wood feed, and in winter they add more hay and succulent food- chopped beets or carrots.

The reserve also contains several American steppe bison - very close relatives of the bison.

The differences between bison and American bison are minor. The bison has a higher hump, different in shape, longer horns and a tail.
The bison's head is set higher than that of the bison. The bison's body fits into a square, while the bison's body fits into an elongated rectangle, that is, the bison has a longer back and shorter legs.

In the hot season, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair, almost bald, while the bison has hair developed all over its body at all times of the year. Both species are approximately the same in size, although the American bison, due to its stockiness, looks more compact and stronger.

This is such beauty.