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American Bison

Bison bison

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46.8613, -103.554

Field Notes

Description:

The American Bison is the largest land mammal in North America. Bulls may weigh as much as 318 to 1,000 kg (700 to 2,200 lb), but some bulls may get heavier. Cows are smaller and tend towards brown. Bulls are brown with darker necks and heads. Fur on the front quarters tend to be thicker, especially in winter when these animals tend to face storms.

Habitat:

Typically prairie grasslands, but also inhabited at one time savannas and eastern forest lands in the US and Canada.

Notes:

I just got back from a trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota (US). Photographing the bison rut was one of the major reason I went there. Cows are often closely guarded by big herd bulls until they come into heat and are bred. Then the bulls search for another cow and repeats the process. The third photo is of two bulls fighting over a receptive cow. It was a very violent encounter by two very powerful animals.

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