American Buffalo

The American Buffalo is a large and powerful animal. Its scientific names are Bison bison and Bos americanus. It belongs to the Family Bovidae, Genus Bison. There are two subspecies of Bisons: Bison bison bison (the plains Bison) and Bison bison athabascae (the wood Bison.) Wood Bisons are larger and with a taller square hump compared to the plains Bisons. The wood Bison subspecies is one of the three largest cattle species in the world. Actually, the American Buffalo is not a correct name. “True Buffalos” are its distant relatives: the Asian Water Buffalo and the African Cape Buffalo. 

The American Buffalo reaches up to 200 cm tall and up to 300 cm long. The weight of an adult bull can be up to 1,000 kg. The biggest recorded bull weighed 1,130 kg. Females are much smaller than males. The head, shoulders, and forequarters of the American Buffalo are large and massive. Both males and females have short horns used for defense from predators and fighting for status. The winter coat of the American Buffalo is long, shaggy, and dark brown in color. White Buffalos are very rare. The summer coat is short and light brown. Dense coat protects these animals from bitter cold and wind.

The American Buffalo is a pure herbivore. It grazes on grasses and sedges. American Buffalos are active in the morning and in the evening. During the day, they rest in the shade. Adult Buffalos have almost no enemies except humans. A herd of Bisons and even a single Bison can kill a wolf and a bear. In winter, when Bisons have little food, a pack of wolves can kill even a large and strong Bison. Young calves can fall a prey to a number of predators, if the herd is too small to protect them.

American Bisons are an important link in the food chain of the Great Plains. Native Americans relied on them as a major meat source. Bison herds propagated wildly before the European settlers arrived to America and started to massively kill them. In the late 19th century, the American Buffalo was on the brink of extinction, but nowadays, it’s estimated as the least concern.