How does a buffalo act?

Bison – Buffalo Bison are true even-toed mammals that belong to the family Bovidae. There are two kinds of Bison species (also known as Buffalo) that inhabit our planet, they are the American Bison (Bison bison) which include the species American plains bison (Bison bison bison) and the American wood bison (Bison bison Athabasca), and the European Bison (Bison bonasus) which are also referred to as ‘Wisent’

BISON DESCRIPTION

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Male Bison are referred to as ‘Bulls’ and females are referred to as ‘Cows’. American Bison and European Bison are very similar in appearance. Bison are huge, powerful, aggressive bovine mammals with solid muscular heads and necks which are covered with brown shaggy fur. They use their very strong heads to shove and head-butt each other to win females during the breeding season.

Both males and females have sharp, curved horns extending from the sides of their heads which are used to defend themselves against predators. Bison have humped shoulders and short legs. Their tails are long and have a furry tuft at the end. Bison measure between 2.1 and 3.5 metres (7 – 11 feet) in length and weigh between 350 – 1,000 kilograms (770 – 2,200 pounds). They stand around 2 metres (6.6 feet) tall. Males are slightly larger than females which is typical in ungulates.

• The American Bison has 15 ribs, while the European Bison only has 14 ribs.

• The American Bison has four lumbar vertebrae, while the European Bison has five.

• Adult American Bison have shorter legs than the European Bison.

• American Bison tend to graze more and browse less due to their necks being set differently.

• The nose of the European species is set further forward than the forehead when the neck is in a neutral position.

• American Bison are hairier, though its tail has less hair than that of the European Bison.

• The horns of the European Bison point forward 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 charging.

• American Bison are more easily tamed than their European cousins and breed with domestic cattle more readily