B. b. athabascae The Wood Bison, Bison bison athabascae, also called Mountain Bison, Wood Buffalo or Mountain Buffalo, is a distinct northern subspecies or ecotype of the American Bison . Its original range included much of the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, western Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, and northwestern B. b. bison The plains bison is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae). Furthermore, it has been suggested that the Plains Bison consists of a northern (Bison bison montanae) and a southern subspecies, bringing the total to three. However, this is generally not supported

Synonyms In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. Usage and terminology are different for zoology and botany

Bos americanus Bos bison Bison bison montanae

The American bison (Bison bison) is a North American North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the southeast species In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are often used, such as based on similarity of DNA or of bison Members of the genus Bison are large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant species and four extinct species are recognized. The surviving species are the American bison, Bison bison , found in North America, and the European bison, or wisent (Bison bonasus), found in Europe and the Caucasus. While these species are usually, also commonly known as the American buffalo. Some consider the term "buffalo" somewhat of a misnomer A misnomer is a term which suggests an interpretation that is known to be untrue. Such incorrect terms sometimes derived their names because of the form, action, or origin of the subject becoming named popularly or widely referenced—long before their true natures were known for this animal, as it is only distantly related to either of the two "true buffalo," the Asian water buffalo The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo is a large bovine animal, frequently used as livestock in southern Asia, and also widely in South America, southern Europe, north Africa, and elsewhere and the African buffalo The African buffalo, affalo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovid. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear. Owing to its unpredictable nature which makes it highly dangerous to humans, it has not been domesticated, unlike its Asian counterpart, the domestic Asian water buffalo. However, "bison Members of the genus Bison are large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant species and four extinct species are recognized. The surviving species are the American bison, Bison bison , found in North America, and the European bison, or wisent (Bison bonasus), found in Europe and the Caucasus. While these species are usually" is a Greek word meaning ox-like animal, while "buffalo" originated with the French fur trappers who called these massive beasts bœufs, meaning ox or bullock – so both names, "bison" and "buffalo," have a similar meaning. In reference to this animal, the term "buffalo," which dates to 1635, has a much longer history than the term "bison," which was first recorded in 1774.^[2] The American bison is more closely related to the wisent The wisent (Bison bonasus), also known as the European bison, is a species of Eurasian bison. It is the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe; a typical wisent is about 3 m (10 ft) long and 1.8 to 2.2 m (6 to 7 ft) tall, and weighs 300 to 920 kg (660 to 2,000 lb). It is typically lighter than the related American Bison (Bison bison), and has or European bison.

These bison once roamed the grasslands Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae) and other herbaceous (non-woody) plants (forbs). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica. In temperate latitudes, such as northwest Europe and the Great Plains and of North America in massive herds A herd is a large group of animals and is a form of collective animal behavior. The term is usually applied to mammals, particularly ungulates. Other terms are used for similar phenomena in other types of animal. For example, a large group of birds is usually called a flock and a large group of carnivores is usually called a pack. In addition,; their range roughly formed a triangle between the Great Bear Lake Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada (Lake Superior and Lake Huron straddling the Canada-US border are larger), the third largest in North America, and the seventh largest in the world. The lake is situated on the Arctic Circle between 65 and 67 degrees of northern latitude and between 118 and 123 degrees western longitude, 18 in Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three's far northwest, south to the Mexican In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory, which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain which would eventually become Mexico states The United Mexican States is a federal republic composed of 32 federal entities (Spanish: entidades federativas) (31 states and 1 federal district). These states constitute one Federated State or Union of Durango Durango is one of the constituent states of Mexico, with a population of 1,509,118. It has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja California Sur. The city of Durango is the state's capital and Nuevo León Nuevo León is a state located in northeastern Mexico. It borders the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east and San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León accounts for a 15 kilometer (9 mi) stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S. state of Texas, and east along the western boundary of the Appalachian Mountains Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.^[3] Two subspecies or ecotypes have been described: the plains bison The plains bison is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae). Furthermore, it has been suggested that the Plains Bison consists of a northern (Bison bison montanae) and a southern subspecies, bringing the total to three. However, this is generally not supported (Bison bison bison), smaller in size and with a more rounded hump, and the wood bison The Wood Bison, Bison bison athabascae, also called Mountain Bison, Wood Buffalo or Mountain Buffalo, is a distinct northern subspecies or ecotype of the American Bison . Its original range included much of the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, western Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, and northwestern (Bison bison athabascae) – the larger of the two and having a taller, square hump.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]} Furthermore, it has been suggested that the plains bison consists of a northern (Bison bison montanae) and a southern subspecies, bringing the total to three.^[7] However, this is generally not supported. The wood bison is one of the largest species of cattle in the world, surpassed by only the Asian gaur The gaur (Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large, dark-coated forest animal of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The largest populations are found today in India. The gaur belongs to the Bovinae subfamily, which also includes bison, domestic cattle, yak and water buffalo. The gaur is the largest species of wild cattle, bigger than the and wild Asian water buffalo The wild water buffalo, wild Asian buffalo or wild Asiatic buffalo is a large ungulate, a member of the bovine subfamily and the ancestor of the domestic Water Buffalo. It is the second largest wild bovid, smaller only than the Gaur. It is an endangered species, thought to survive in (from west to east) India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand. It is the largest extant land animal in North America North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean; South America lies to the southeast.

Contents 1 Description 1.1 Differences from European bison 2 Range and population 3 Behavior and ecology 3.1 Social behavior and reproduction 3.2 Wallowing behavior 3.3 Predation 4 Hunting 4.1 Native hunting 4.2 19th century bison hunts 4.3 Comeback 4.4 Bison hunting today 5 Bison trails 6 Bison as a symbol 7 Dangers 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links

Description

An adult male bison, called a bull

A bison has a shaggy, long, dark brown winter coat, and a lighter weight, lighter brown summer coat. Bison can reach up to 6 feet 6 inches (2 m) tall, 10 feet (3 m) long, and weigh 900 to 2,200 pounds (410 to 1,000 kg).^{[citation needed]} As typical in ungulates Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive. There is some dispute as to whether Ungulata are a cladistic (evolution-based) group, or merely a phenetic group or folk taxon (, the male bison is slightly larger than the female. The biggest specimens on record have weighed as much as 2,500 pounds (1,130 kg).^{[citation needed]} The heads and forequarters are massive, and both sexes have short, curved horns, which they use in fighting for status within the herd and for defense.

Bison are herbivores Herbivores are animals that are adapted to eat plants. Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism consumes principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in general are known as primary consumers, grazing on the grasses Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges (Cyperaceae) and the rushes (Juncaceae). The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns (turf) and grassland and sedges Cyperaceae is a family of monocot flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera . These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical Asia and tropical South America. While sedges may be of the North American prairies Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, and the steppes of Eurasia. They eat in the morning and evening, and rest during the day. Bison mate in August and September; gestation is 285 days. A single reddish-brown calf, born the following spring, nurses for a year. Bison are mature at three years of age, and have a life expectancy of approximately 15 years in the wild and up to 25 years in captivity.

For the first three months of life, juveniles are lighter in color than mature bison. One very rare condition is the white buffalo, in which the calf turns entirely white. White bison are considered sacred by many Native Americans Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. The terminology used to.

Differences from European bison

Skulls of European bison (left) and American bison (right)

Although they are superficially similar, the American and European bison The wisent (Bison bonasus), also known as the European bison, is a species of Eurasian bison. It is the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe; a typical wisent is about 3 m (10 ft) long and 1.8 to 2.2 m (6 to 7 ft) tall, and weighs 300 to 920 kg (660 to 2,000 lb). It is typically lighter than the related American Bison (Bison bison), and has exhibit a number of physical and behavioral differences. The American species has 15 ribs, while the European bison has 14. The American bison has four lumbar vertebrae, while the European has five.^[10] Adult American bison are not as rangy in build, and have shorter legs.^[11] American bison tend to graze Grazing generally describes a type of predation in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs (such as algae). Grazing differs from true predation because the organism being eaten is not killed, and it differs from parasitism as the two organisms do not live together, nor is the grazer necessarily so limited in more, and browse Browsing is a type of predation in which a herbivore feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high growing, generally woody, plants such as shrubs. This is contrasted with grazing predation, usually associated with animals feeding on grass or other low vegetation. An example of this dichotomy are goats (which are browsers) and sheep (which are less than their European cousins, due to their necks being set differently. Compared to the nose of the American bison, that of the European species is set farther forward than the forehead when the neck is in a neutral position. The body of the American bison is 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 its face, making it more adept at fighting through the interlocking of horns in the same manner as domestic cattle, unlike the American bison which favors charging.^[12] American bison are more easily tamed than their European cousins, and breed more readily with domestic cattle.^[13]

Range and population

American bison grazing in Custer State Park in South Dakota South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River". Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state'.

There are approximately 500,000 bison in captive commercial populations (mostly plains bison) on about 4,000 privately owned ranches. Under the IUCN Red List Guidelines, commercial herds are not eligible for consideration in determining a Red List designation, therefore the total population of bison calculated in conservation herds is approximately 30,000 individuals and the mature population consists of approximately 20,000 individuals. Of the total number presented, only 15,000 total individuals are considered wild bison in the natural range within North America (free-ranging, not confined primarily by fencing)^[14].

Bison are now raised for meat and hides. The majority of bison in the world are being raised for human consumption. Bison meat is lower in fat Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are generally triesters of glycerol and fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure and composition. Although the words "oils", "fats", and cholesterol Cholesterol is a waxy steroid metabolite found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes, where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. In addition, cholesterol is an important component for the manufacture of bile than beef,^[15] a fact which has led to the development of beefalo Beefalo are a fertile hybrid offspring of domestic cattle, Bos taurus, and the American bison, Bison bison . The breed was created to combine the best characteristics of both animals with a view towards beef production, a fertile crossbreed of bison and domestic cattle. In 2005, about 35,000 bison were processed for meat in the U.S., with the National Bison Association and USDA The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food. It aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, protect natural resources, providing a "Certified American Buffalo" program with birth-to-consumer tracking of bison via RFID Radio-frequency identification is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader ear tags. There is even a market for kosher Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér (כָּשֵׁר), meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption by Jews according to traditional Jewish law). Food that is not in accordance with Jewish law is bison meat; these bison are slaughtered at one of the few kosher mammal slaughterhouses in the U.S., and the meat is then distributed nationwide.

Bison are found in both publicly and privately held herds. Custer State Park Custer State Park is a state park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, USA. The park is South Dakota's largest and first state park, named after General George Armstrong Custer. The area originally started out as sixteen sections, but was later changed into one block of land because of the challenges of the terrain in South Dakota South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River". Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state' is home to 1,500 bison, one of the largest publicly held herds in the world. Wildlife officials^[who?] believe that free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America can be found only in Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world, and is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal, Henry Mountains The Henry Mountains are located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah and run in a generally north-south direction, extending over a distance of about 30 miles . They were named by John Wesley Powell in honour of Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The nearest town of any size is Hanksville, Utah, in Utah Utah is one of the most religiously homogeneous states in the Union. Between 41% and 60% of Utahns are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life, Wind Cave National Park Wind Cave National Park is a United States national park 10 miles north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota. Established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was the seventh U.S. National Park and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is notable for its displays of the calcite in South Dakota South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River". Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state', Elk Island National Park and Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. Alberta is one of three Canadian provinces and territories to border only a single U.S. state . It is also one of only two Canadian, and Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan Other major cities, in order of size, are Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Yorkton, Swift Current and North Battleford. The province's name comes from the Saskatchewan River, whose name comes from its Cree designation: ᑭᓯᐢᑳᒋᐘᓂ ᓯᐱᐩ , meaning "swift flowing river".

An American bison near a hot spring or fumarole in Yellowstone National Park

Recent genetic studies of privately owned herds of bison show that many of them include animals with genes from domestic cattle. For example, the herd on Santa Catalina Island, isolated since 1924, after being brought there for a movie shoot, were found to be mostly crossbreeds.^[16] It is estimated that there are as few as 12,000 to 15,000 pure bison in the world. The numbers are uncertain because the tests used to date – mitochondrial DNA analysis – indicate only if the maternal line (back from mother to mother... ) ever included bovines and thus say nothing about male input in the process. It was found that most hybrids look exactly like purebred bison - therefore, looks were not a good indicator of genetics.

A proposal known as Buffalo Commons has been suggested by a handful of academics and policymakers to restore large parts of the drier portion of the Great Plains to native prairie grazed by bison. Proponents argue that current agricultural use of the shortgrass prairie is not sustainable, pointing to periodic disasters, including the Dust Bowl, and continuing significant human population loss over the last 60 years. However, this plan is opposed by some who live in the areas in question.^{[citation needed]}

Behavior and ecology

Bison are mostly grazers, with both male and female herds migrating in parallel with the seasons and annual grasses. Bison can eat most of the grass in an area in a short time and thus must keep migrating to feed more of the entire herd.

Social behavior and reproduction

Two adult female bison and a calf

Female bison live in maternal herds which include other females and their offspring. Male offspring leave their maternal herd when around three years old and will either live alone or join other males in bachelor herds. Male and female herds do not mingle until the breeding season.

Bison are polygamous. During the breeding season, dominant bulls maintain a small harem of females for mating. Individual bulls "tend" cows until allowed to mate, by following them around and chasing away rival males. The tending bull will shield the female's vision with his body so she will not see any other challenging males. A challenging bull may bellow or roar to get a female's attention and the tending bull has to bellow/roar back. The most dominant bulls mate in the first 2–3 weeks of the season. More subordinate bulls will mate with any remaining estrous cow that has not mated yet. Male bison play no part in raising the young.

Bison herds have dominance hierarchies that exist for both males and females. A bison's dominance is related to its birth date. Bison that are born earlier in the breeding season are more likely to be larger and more dominant as adults. Thus bison are able to pass on their dominance to their offspring as dominant bison breed earlier in the season. In addition to dominance, the older bison of a generation also have a higher fertility rate than the younger ones.

Homosexual behavior – including courtship and mounting between bulls – is known to occur among bison. The Mandan nation Okipa festival concludes with a ceremonial enactment of this behavior, to "ensure the return of the buffalo in the coming season." Inter-sexual bison also occur. The Lakota refer to them as pte winkte – pte meaning bison and winkte designating two-spirit – thereby drawing an explicit parallel between transgenderism in animals and people.^[17]

Wallowing behavior

A bison is taking a dust bath in a wallow in Yellowstone National Park.

A bison wallow is a shallow depression in the soil, which is used either wet or dry. Bison roll in these depressions, covering themselves with dust or mud. Past explanations and current hypotheses suggested for wallowing behavior include grooming behavior associated with shedding, male-male interaction (typically rutting behavior), social behavior for group cohesion, play behavior, relief from skin irritation due to biting insects; reduction of ectoparasite (tick and lice) load; and thermoregulation.^[18]

Predation

In some areas, wolves are a major predator of bison. Wolf predation typically peaks in late spring and early summer, with attacks usually being concentrated on cows and calves. Observations have shown that wolves actively target herds with calves over ones with none.

An American Bison standing its ground against a wolf pack

Bison display five apparent defense strategies in protecting calves from wolves. These include running to a cow, running to a herd, running to the nearest bull, run in the front or center of a stampeding herd, and entering water bodies such as lakes or rivers. When fleeing wolves in open areas, cows with young calves take the lead, while bulls take to the rear of the herds, to guard the cows' escape. The length of a bison hunt varies, ranging from lasting a few minutes to 11 hours. Bison typically ignore wolves not displaying hunting behavior.^[19] Packs specializing in bison tend to have a greater number of males, as their superior size to the females allows them to wrestle bison to the ground more effectively.^[20] The grizzly bear can also pose a threat to calves and sometimes adult bison.

Hunting

Native hunting

A bison bull on a Nebraska wildlife refuge.

The American bison is a relative newcomer to North America, having originated in Eurasia and migrated over the Bering Strait.^[21] About 10,000 years ago it replaced the steppe bison (Bison priscus), a previous immigrant that was much larger. It is thought that the long-horned bison became extinct due to a changing ecosystem and hunting pressure following the development of the Clovis point and related technology, and improved hunting skills. During this same period, other megafauna vanished and were replaced to some degree by immigrant Eurasian animals that were better adapted to predatory humans. The American bison, technically a dwarf form, was one of these animals.

Bison were a keystone species, whose grazing pressure was a force that shaped the ecology of the Great Plains as strongly as periodic prairie fires and which were central to the lifestyle of Native Americans of the Great Plains. However, there is now some controversy over their interaction. "Hernando De Soto's expedition staggered through the Southeast for four years in the early 16th century and saw hordes of people but apparently did not see a single bison," Charles C. Mann wrote in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. Mann discussed the evidence that Native Americans not only created (by selective use of fire) the large grasslands that provided the bison's ideal habitat but also kept the bison population regulated. In this theory, it was only when the original human population was devastated by wave after wave of epidemic (from diseases of Europeans) after the 16th century that the bison herds propagated wildly. In such a view, the seas of bison herds that stretched to the horizon were a symptom of an ecology out of balance, only rendered possible by decades of heavier-than-average rainfall. Other evidence of the arrival circa 1550-1600 in the savannas of the eastern seaboard includes the lack of places which southeast natives named after buffalo.^[22][23] Bison were the most numerous single species of large wild mammal on Earth.^[24]

A bison hunt depicted by George Catlin.

What is not disputed is that before the introduction of horses, bison were herded into large chutes made of rocks and willow branches and then stampeded over cliffs. These buffalo jumps are found in several places in the U.S. and Canada, such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Large groups of people would herd the bison for several miles, forcing them into a stampede that would ultimately drive many animals over a cliff. The large quantities of meat obtained in this way provided the hunters with surplus, which was used in trade. A similar method of hunting was to drive the bison into natural corrals, such as the Ruby site.

To get the optimum use out of the bison, the Native Americans had a specific method of butchery, first identified at the Olsen-Chubbock archaeological site in Colorado. The method involves skinning down the back to get at the tender meat just beneath the surface, the area known as the "hatched area." After the removal of the hatched area, the front legs are cut off as well as the shoulder blades. Doing so exposes the hump meat (in the wood bison), as well as the meat of the ribs and the bison's inner organs. After everything was exposed, the spine was then severed and the pelvis and hind legs removed. Finally, the neck and head were removed as one. This allowed for the tough meat to be dried and made into pemmican.

Later when Plains Indians obtained horses, it was found that a good horseman could easily lance or shoot enough bison to keep his tribe and family fed, as long as a herd was nearby. The bison provided meat, leather, sinew for bows, grease, dried dung for fires, and even the hooves could be boiled for glue. When times were bad, bison were consumed down to the last bit of marrow.

19th century bison hunts

A group of images by Eadweard Muybridge, set to motion to illustrate the animal's movement.

Bison were hunted almost to extinction in the 19th century and were reduced to a few hundred by the mid-1880s. They were hunted for their skins, with the rest of the animal left behind to decay on the ground.^[25] After the animals rotted, their bones were collected and shipped back east in large quantities.^[25]

The US Army sanctioned and actively endorsed the wholesale slaughter of bison herds.^[26] The US Federal government promoted bison hunting for various reasons, to allow ranchers to range their cattle without competition from other bovines, and primarily to weaken the North American Indian population by removing their main food source and to pressure them onto the reservations.^[27] Without the bison, native people of the plains were forced either to leave the land or starve to death.

According to historian Pekka Hämäläinen, Native Americans also contributed to the collapse of the bison.^[28] By the 1830s the Comanche and their allies on the southern plains were killing about 280,000 bison a year, which was near the limit of sustainability for that region. Firearms and horses, along with a growing export market for buffalo robes and bison meat had resulted in larger and larger numbers of bison killed each year. A long and intense drought hit the southern plains in 1845, lasting into the 1860s, which caused a widespread collapse of the bison herds.^[28] In the 1860s, the rains returned and the bison herds recovered to a degree.

The railroad industry also wanted bison herds culled or eliminated. Herds of bison on tracks could damage locomotives when the trains failed to stop in time. Herds often took shelter in the artificial cuts formed by the grade of the track winding though hills and mountains in harsh winter conditions. As a result, bison herds could delay a train for days.

This map based on William Temple Hornaday's late-nineteenth-century research. A pile of bison skulls in the 1870s.

The main reason for the bison's near-demise, much like the actual demise of the passenger pigeon, was commercial hunting.

Bison skins were used for clothing such as robes, rugs and, most importantly, for industrial machine belts. Prior to electrification factories were usually powered by a centrally located steam engine, with the power carried throughout the factory using an arrangement known as line shaft transmission. Power from the engine was transferred to rods suspended below the ceiling on each floor of the factory, where it was in turn transferred to individual machines on the floor via a leather belt running on two pulleys, one on the rod and the other on the machine. Buffalo leather was the material of choice for this application because of its strength and wear resistance.

There was a huge export trade to Europe of bison hides. Old West bison hunting was very often a big commercial enterprise, involving organized teams of one or two professional hunters, backed by a team of skinners, gun cleaners, cartridge reloaders, cooks, wranglers, blacksmiths, security guards, teamsters, and numerous horses and wagons. Men were even employed to recover and recast lead bullets taken from the carcasses. Many of these professional hunters, such as Buffalo Bill Cody, killed over a hundred animals at a single stand and many thousands in their career. One professional hunter killed over 20,000 by his own count. A good hide could bring $3 in Dodge City, Kansas, and a very good one (the heavy winter coat) could sell for $50 in an era when a laborer would be lucky to make a dollar a day.

The hunter would customarily locate the herd in the early morning, and station himself about 100 metres (109 yd) from it, shooting the animals broadside through the lungs. Head shots were not preferred as the soft lead bullets would often flatten and fail to penetrate the skull, especially if mud was matted on the head of the animal. The bison would drop until either the herd sensed danger and stampeded or perhaps a wounded animal attacked another, causing the herd to disperse. If done properly, a large number of bison would be felled at one time. Following up were the skinners, who would drive a spike through the nose of each dead animal with a sledgehammer, hook up a horse team, and pull the hide from the carcass. The hides were dressed, prepared, and stacked on the wagons by other members of the organization.

A bull bison, illustrated in The Extermination of the American Bison. Used on the obverse of the 1901 American Bison $10 bill.

For a decade from 1873 on, there were several hundred, perhaps over a thousand, such commercial hide hunting outfits harvesting bison at any one time, vastly exceeding the take by American Indians or individual meat hunters. The commercial take arguably was anywhere from 2,000 to 100,000 animals per day depending on the season, though there are no statistics available. It was said that the Big .50s were fired so much that hunters needed at least two rifles to let the barrels cool off; The Fireside Book of Guns reports they were sometimes quenched in the winter snow. Dodge City saw railroad cars sent East filled with stacked hides.

The building of the railroads through Colorado and Kansas split the bison herd in two parts, the southern herd and the northern herd. The last refuge of the southern herd was in the Texas Panhandle.^[29]

As the great herds began to wane, proposals to protect the bison were discussed. Cody, among others, spoke in favor of protecting the bison because he saw that the pressure on the species was too great. Yet these proposals were discouraged since it was recognized that the Plains Indians, often at war with the United States, depended on bison for their way of life. In 1874, President Ulysses S. Grant "pocket vetoed" a Federal bill to protect the dwindling bison herds, and in 1875, General Philip Sheridan pleaded to a joint session of Congress to slaughter the herds, to deprive the Indians of their source of food.^[30] By 1884, the American bison was close to extinction.

Comeback

A group of bison at a watering hole.

The famous herd of James "Scotty" Philip in South Dakota was one of the earliest reintroductions of bison to North America. In 1899, Phillip purchased a small herd (5 of them, including the female) from Dug Carlin, Pete Dupree's brother-in-law, whose son Fred had roped 5 calves in the Last Big Buffalo Hunt on the Grand River in 1881 and taken them back home to the ranch on the Cheyenne River. Scotty's goal was to preserve the animal from extinction. At the time of his death in 1911 at 53, Philip had grown the herd to an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 head of bison. A variety of privately owned herds had also been established, starting from this population.

Simultaneously, two Montana ranchers, Michel Pablo and Charles Allard, spent more than 20 years assembling one of the largest collections of purebred bison on the continent (by the time of Allard's death in 1896, the herd numbered 300). In 1907, after U.S. authorities declined to buy the herd, Pablo struck a deal with the Canadian government and shipped most of his bison northward to the newly created Elk Island National Park.^[30]

An isolated bison herd on Utah's Antelope Island has also been used to improve the genetic diversity of American bison. The current American bison population has been growing rapidly, and is estimated at 350,000, compared to an estimated 60 to 100 million in the mid-19th century. Most current herds, however are genetically polluted or partly crossbred with cattle.^{[31][32][33][34]} Today there are only four genetically unmixed herds and only one that is also free of brucellosis: it roams Wind Cave National Park. A founder population of 16 animals from the Wind Cave herd was established in Montana in 2005 by the American Prairie Foundation. The herd now numbers near 100 and roams a 14,000-acre grassland expanse on American Prairie Reserve.

Bison graze near a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park.

The only continuously wild bison herd in the United States resides within Yellowstone National Park. Numbering between 3,000 and 3,500, this herd is descended from a remnant population of 23 individual mountain bison that survived the mass slaughter of the 1800s by hiding out in the Pelican Valley of Yellowstone Park. In 1902, a captive herd of 21 plains bison was introduced to the Lamar Valley and managed as livestock until the 1960s, when a policy of natural regulation was adopted by the park.

The end of the ranching era and the onset of the natural regulation era set into motion a chain of events that have led to the bison of Yellowstone Park migrating to lower elevations outside the park in search of winter forage. The presence of wild bison in Montana is perceived as a threat to many cattle ranchers, who fear that the small percentage of bison that carry brucellosis will infect livestock and cause cows to abort their first calves. However, there has never been a documented case of brucellosis being transmitted to cattle from wild bison. The management controversy that began in the early 1980s continues to this day, with advocacy groups arguing that the Yellowstone herd should be protected as a distinct population segment under the Endangered Species Act.

Bison hunting today

Bison grazing on a wildlife ranch in Texas. Adolescent Bison in Yellowstone National Park.

Hunting of wild bison is legal in some states and provinces where public herds require culling to maintain a target population. In Alberta, where one of only two continuously wild herds of bison exist in North America at Wood Buffalo National Park, bison are hunted to protect disease-free public (reintroduced) and private herds of bison.

In Montana, a public hunt was reestablished in 2005, with 50 permits being issued. The Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission increased the number of tags to 140 for the 2006/2007 season. Advocacy groups claim that it is premature to reestablish the hunt, given the bison's lack of habitat and wildlife status in Montana.

Bison were also reintroduced to Alaska in 1928, and both domestic and wild herds subsist in a few parts of the state.^[35][36] The state grants limited permits to hunt wild bison each year.^[37][38]

The bison is one of the few North American large game animals that can be hunted year round, though hunters prefer to hunt it at certain times of the year to achieve desired appearances of the coat.

Bison trails

The first thoroughfares of North America, except for the time-obliterated paths of mastodon or muskox and the routes of the Mound Builders, were the traces made by bison and deer in seasonal migration and between feeding grounds and salt licks. Many of these routes, hammered by countless hoofs instinctively following watersheds and the crests of ridges in avoidance of lower places' summer muck and winter snowdrifts, were followed by the Indians as courses to hunting grounds and as warriors' paths. They were invaluable to explorers and were adopted by pioneers.

Bison traces were characteristically north and south, but several key east-west trails were used later as railways. Some of these include the Cumberland Gap through the Blue Ridge Mountains to upper Kentucky. A heavily used trace crossed the Ohio River at the Falls of the Ohio and ran west, crossing the Wabash River near Vincennes, Indiana. In Senator Thomas Hart Benton's phrase saluting these sagacious path-makers, the bison paved the way for the railroads to the Pacific.^{[39] [40]}

Bison as a symbol

Wyoming uses a bison in its state flag. The 1935 buffalo nickel – this style of coin featuring an American bison was produced from 1913 to 1938. The 2005 Nickel featured an American bison, reminiscent of the older buffalo nickel design. The American Buffalo, also known as a gold buffalo, is a 24-karat gold bullion coin first issued in 2006 and designed after the Indian Head nickel. American Bison on the obverse of the 1901 $10 bill.

The American bison is often used in North America in official seals, flags, and logos. In the United States, the American bison is a popular symbol in the Great Plains states. Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming have adopted the animal as their official state mammal, and many sports teams have chosen the bison as their mascot. In Canada, the bison is the official animal of the province of Manitoba and appears on the Manitoba flag. It is also used in the official coat of arms of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Several American coins feature the bison, perhaps most famously on the reverse side of the "buffalo nickel" from 1913 to 1938. In 2005, the United States Mint coined a nickel with a new depiction of the bison as part of its "Westward Journey" series. The Kansas and North Dakota state quarters, part of the "50 State Quarter" series, each feature bison. The Kansas state quarter has only the bison and does not feature any writing, while the North Dakota state quarter has two bison.

Other institutions which have adopted the bison as a symbol or mascot include:

• Bucknell University
• Buffalo, New York
• Buffalo Bills
• Buffalo Bisons
• Buffalo Bulls and University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
• Buffalo Grove High School
• Buffalo Sabres
• University of Colorado
• Gallaudet University
• Seal of the State of Indiana
• Harding University
• Howard University
• Lipscomb University
• Flag of Manitoba
• University of Manitoba
• Marshall University
• Independence Party of Minnesota
• Ralph Nader (mascot for his 2008 campaign for president)^[41]
• Nichols College
• North Dakota State University
• Oklahoma Baptist University
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Southwestern Law School
• CFB Wainwright
• West Texas A&M University
• The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta

Dangers

Bison can leap a standard 36 inch barbed-wire fence with ease, as seen here near Lake George, Colorado.

Bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various U.S. and Canadian National Parks, especially Yellowstone National Park. Although they are not carnivorous, they will attack humans if provoked. They appear slow because of their lethargic movements, but they can easily outrun humans—they have been observed running as fast as 35 miles per hour (56 km/h). Between 1978 and 1992, nearly five times as many people in Yellowstone National Park were killed or injured by bison as by bears (12 by bears, 56 by bison). Bison are also more agile than one might expect, given the animal's size and body structure.

See also

• American Bison Society
• Beefalo
• Buffalo Commons
• Bison hunting
• Buffalo Hunters' War
• Great bison belt
• Plains hide painting
• Wisent

References

1. ^ Gates, C. & Aune, K (2008). Bison bison. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 November 2008.Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of Near threatened.
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
3. ^ http://www.discoverlife.org/nh/tx/Vertebrata/Mammalia/Bovidae/Bos/bison/images/Bison_bison_map.320.jpg.html
4. ^ Geist V. (1991). "Phantom subspecies: the wood bison, Bison bison "athabascae" Rhoads 1897, is not a valid taxon, but an ecotype.". Arctic 44 (4): 283–300.
5. ^ Kay, Charles E.; Clifford A. White (2001). "Reintroduction of bison into the Rocky Mountain parks of Canada: historical and archaeological evidence". Crossing Boundaries in Park Management: Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Research and Resource Management in Parks and on Public Lands. Hancock, Michigan: The George Wright Society, Inc.. pp. 143–51. http://www.georgewright.org/24kay.pdf. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
6. ^ Bork, A. M., C. M. Strobeck, F. C. Yeh, R. J. Hudson, & R. K. Salmon (1991). "Genetic relationship of wood and plains bison based on restriction fragment length polymorphisms". Can J Zool 69 (1): 43–48. doi:10.1139/z91-007. http://article.pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/RPAS/RPViewDoc?_handler_=HandleInitialGet&calyLang=eng&journal=cjz&volume=69&articleFile=z91-007.pdf.
7. ^ ^{a b} Halbert, Natalie D., Terje Raudsepp, Bhanu P. Chowdhary, & James N. Derr (2004). "Conservation Genetic Analysis of the Texas State Bison Herd". Journal of Mammalogy 85 (5): 924–931. doi:10.1644/BER-029. http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1644/BER-029.
8. ^ Wilson, G. A., & C. Strobeck (1999). "Genetic variation within and relatedness among wood and plains bison populations". Genome 42 (3): 483–96. doi:10.1139/gen-42-3-483. PMID 10382295. http://article.pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ppv/RPViewDoc?issn=0831-2796&volume=42&issue=3&startPage=483.
9. ^ Boyd, Delaney P. (April 2003). Conservation of North American Bison: Status and Recommendations (MS thesis). University of Calgary. OCLC 232117310. http://www.notitia.com/bison/Members/PDF%20Files/Library/Thesis%20Document%20-%20Conservation%20Status%20of%20Bison%20-%20BOYD.pdf. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
10. ^ 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
11. ^ Trophy Bowhunting: Plan the Hunt of a Lifetime and Bag One for the Record Books, by Rick Sapp, Edition: illustrated, published by Stackpole Books, 2006, ISBN 0811733157, 9780811733151
12. ^ American Bison: A Natural History, By Dale F. Lott, Harry W. Greene, ebrary, Inc, Contributor Harry W. Greene, Edition: illustrated, Published by University of California Press, 2003 ISBN 0520240626, 9780520240629
13. ^ Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History, By Edward Newman, James Edmund Harting, Published by J. Van Voorst, 1859.
14. ^ The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (version 2009.1) - Bison bison
15. ^ http://www.bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=67&d=99&a=1056&w=2&r=Y
16. ^ Chang, Alicia (2007-09-21). "Study: Catalina bison aren't purebred". USA Today (Associated Press). http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-09-21-3401087937_x.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
17. ^ Bagemihl, Bruce (2006). Whole Earth.
18. ^ McMillan, Brock R.; Cottam, Michael R.; Kaufman, Donald W. (July 2000). "Wallowing Behavior of American Bison (Bos Bison) in Tallgrass Prairie: An Examination of Alternate Explanations". American Midland Naturalist 144 (1): 159–67. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2000)144[0159:WBOABB]2.0.CO;2. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3083019.
19. ^ Carbyn LN, Trottier T (December 1988). "Descriptions of Wolf Attacks on Bison Calves in Wood Buffalo National Park". Arctic 41 (4): 297–302. http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic41-4-297.pdf.
20. ^ Bigger is better if you're a hungry wolf, by BRETT FRENCH Of The Billings Gazette
21. ^ [1]
22. ^ Rostlund, Erhard (01 Dec 1960). "# The Geographic Range of the Historic Bison in the Southeast". Annals of the Association of American Geographers (Taylor & Francis, Ltd.) 50 (4): 395–407. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1960.tb00357.x. ISSN 00045608. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2561275. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
23. ^ Juras, Philip (1997). "The Presettlement Piedmont Savanna: A Model For Landscape Design and Management". http://www.philipjuras.com/thesis/index.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
24. ^ [2]
25. ^ ^{a b} Records, Laban (March 1995). Cherokee Outlet Cowboy: Recollectioons of Laban S. Records. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806126944.
26. ^ Hanson, Emma I. Memory and Vision: Arts, Cultures, and Lives of Plains Indian People. Cody, WY: Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 2007: 211.
27. ^ Moulton, M (1995). Wildlife issues in a changing world, 2nd edition. CRC Press.
28. ^ ^{a b} Hämäläinen, Pekka (2008). The Comanche Empire. Yale University Press. pp. 294–299, 313. ISBN 978-0-300-12654-9. http://books.google.com/?id=Fmh0AAAAMAAJ.
29. ^ Page 9 T. Lindsay Baker, Billy R. Harrison, B. Byron Price, Adobe Walls
30. ^ ^{a b} Bergman, Brian (2004-02-16). "Bison Back from Brink of Extinction". Maclean's. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012570. Retrieved 2008-03-14. "For the sake of lasting peace, let them kill, skin and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated."
31. ^ Robbins, Jim (2007-01-19). "Strands of undesirable DNA roam with buffalo". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/science/09bison.html?. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
32. ^ Polzhien, R.O.; Strobeck, C., Sheraton, J., Beech, R. (December 1995). "Bovine mtDNA Discovered in North American Bison Populations". Conservation Biology 9 (6): 1638–43. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.09061638.x. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0888-8892(199512)9%3A6%3C1638%3ABMDINA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P.
33. ^ Halbert, ND; Ward, TJ; Schnabel, RD; Taylor, JF; Derr, JN; Ward, T.J., Schnabel, R.D., Taylor, J.F., Derr, J.N. (Jul 2005). "Conservation genomics: disequilibrium mapping of domestic cattle chromosomal segments in North American bison populations" (PDF). Molecular Ecology 14 (8): 2343–2362. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02591.x. ISSN 0962-1083. PMID 15969719. http://animalgenomics.missouri.edu/Halbert_Mol_Ecology_2005.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
34. ^ Halbert, Natalie Dierschke (2003) (PDF). The utilization of genetic markers to resolve modern management issues in historic bison populations: implications for species conservation. http://txspace.tamu.edu/bitstream/1969.1/1415/1/etd-tamu-2003C-ACCT-Halbert-1.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
35. ^ http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=huntalaska.bison
36. ^ http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=refuge.delta_bison
37. ^ http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame/bison.php
38. ^ http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/magazine/bison_hunt.htm
39. ^ Adams, James Truslow (1940). Dictionary of American History. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 0822603497.
40. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Trail
41. ^ http://www.votenader.org/blog/2008/10/18/buffalo-t-shirt-sale/

Further reading

• Branch, E. Douglas. The Hunting of the Buffalo (1929, new ed. University of Nebraska Press, 1997), classic history online edition
• Barsness, Larry. Heads, Hides and Horns: The Compleat Buffalo Book. (Texas Christian University Press, 1974)
• Dary David A. The Buffalo Book. (Chicago: Swallow Press, 1974)
• Fagan, Brian. Ancient North America. 2005. Thames and Hudson
• Flores, Dan. "Bison Ecology and Bison Diplomacy: The Southern Plains from 1800 to 1850." Journal of American History 78 (1991): 465-85. in JSTOR
• Gard, Wayne. The Great Buffalo Hunt (University of Nebraska Press, 1954)
• Isenberg, Andrew C. The Destruction of the Buffalo: An Environmental History, 1750-1920 (Cambridge University press, 2000) online edition
• Koller, Larry. Fireside Book of Guns. 1959 Simon and Schuster
• McHugh, Tom. The Time of the Buffalo (University of Nebraska Press, 1972).
• Meagher, Margaret Mary. The Bison of Yellowstone National Park. (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1973)
• Rister, Carl Coke. "The Significance of the Destruction of the Buffalo in the Southwest." Southwestern Historical Quarterly 33 (1929): 34-49.
• Roe, Frank Gilbert. The North American Buffalo: A Critical Study of the Species in Its Wild State (University of Toronto Press, 1951).
• Shaw, James H. "How Many Bison Originally Populated Western Rangelands?" Rangelands, Vol. 17, No. 5 (Oct., 1995), pp. 148–150 in JSTOR
• Smits, David D. "The Frontier Army and the Destruction of the Buffalo, 1865-1883," Western Historical Quarterly 25 (1994): 313-38 and 26 (1995) 203-8.
• Zontek, Ken. "Hunt, Capture, Raise, Increase: The People Who Saved the Bison." Great Plains Quarterly 15 (1995): 133-49.

External links

"Bison bison". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180706. Retrieved 18 March, 2006.

Wikispecies has information related to: Bison bison

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bison bison

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Bison

• American Bison
• National Bison Association
• Buffalo Field Campaign
• Species profile: American bison by The Nature Conservancy
• Bison safety information at Yellowstone National Park from the National Park Service
• The Extermination of the American Bison, by William T. Hornaday from Project Gutenberg
• Wild Bison Reference Project -Collaborative Bibliography for the Conservation, Management and Advocacy of Wild Bison
• American Prairie Foundation
• Papers, 1871–1917 and undated, of buffalo hunter John Wesley Mooar in the Southwest Collection, Special Collections Libraries at Texas Tech University
• Watch the NFB documentary The Great Buffalo Saga

Extant Artiodactyla species Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Mammalia · Infraclass: Eutheria · Superorder: Laurasiatheria Suborder Ruminantia Antilocapridae Antilocapra Pronghorn (A. americana) Giraffidae Okapia Okapi (O. johnstoni) Giraffa Giraffe (G. camelopardalis) Moschidae Moschus Himalayan Musk Deer (M. chrysogaster) · Siberian Musk Deer (M. moschiferus) · Dwarf Musk Deer (M. berezovskii) · Black Musk Deer (M. fuscus) Tragulidae Hyemoschus Water Chevrotain (H. aquaticus) Moschiola Indian Spotted Chevrotain (M. indica) · Yellow-striped Chevrotain (M. kathygre) · Sri Lankan Spotted Chevrotain (M. meminna) Tragulus Java Mouse-deer (T. javanicus) · Lesser Mouse-deer (T. kanchil) · Greater Mouse-deer (T. napu) · Philippine Mouse-deer (T. nigricans) · Vietnam Mouse-deer (T. versicolor) · Williamson's Mouse-deer (T. williamsoni) Cervidae Large family listed below Bovidae Large family listed below Family Cervidae Muntiacinae Muntiacus Indian Muntjac (M. muntjak) · Reeves's Muntjac (M. reevesi) · Hairy-fronted Muntjac (M. crinifrons) · Fea's Muntjac (M. feae) · Bornean Yellow Muntjac (M. atherodes) · Roosevelt's muntjac (M. rooseveltorum) · Gongshan muntjac (M. gongshanensis) · Giant Muntjac (M. vuquangensis) · Truong Son Muntjac (M. truongsonensis) · Leaf muntjac (M. putaoensis) Elaphodus Tufted deer (E. cephalophus) Cervinae Cervus Red Deer (C. elaphus) · Elk (C. canadensis) · Thorold's deer (C. albirostris) · Sika Deer (C. nippon) · Barasingha (C. duvaucelii) · Eld's Deer (C. eldii) · Sambar Deer (C. unicolor) · Rusa Deer (C. timorensis) · Philippine Sambar (C. mariannus) · Philippine Spotted Deer (C. alfredi) Axis Chital (A. axis) · Hog deer (A. porcinus) · Calamian Deer (A. calamianensis) · Bawean Deer (A. kuhlii) Elaphurus Père David's Deer (E. davidianus) Dama Fallow Deer (D. dama) · Persian fallow deer (D. mesopotamica) Hydropotinae Hydropotes Water deer (H. inermis) Capreolinae Odocoileus White-tailed deer (O. virginianus) · Mule deer (O. hemionus) Blastocerus Marsh Deer (B. dichotomus) Ozotoceros Pampas deer (O. bezoarticus) Mazama Red Brocket (M. americana) · Small Red Brocket (M. bororo) · Merida Brocket (M. bricenii) · Dwarf Brocket (M. chunyi) · Gray Brocket (M. gouazoubira) · Pygmy Brocket (M. nana) · Fair Brocket (M. ochroleuca) · Yucatan Brown Brocket (M. pandora) · Little Red Brocket (M. rufina) · Central American Red Brocket (M. temama) Pudu Northern Pudu (P. mephistophiles) · Pudú (P. pudu) Hippocamelus Taruca (H. antisensis) · South Andean Deer (H. bisulcus) Capreolus Roe Deer (C. capreolus) · Siberian Roe Deer (C. pygargus) Rangifer Reindeer (R. tarandus) Alces Moose (A. alces) Family Bovidae Cephalophinae Cephalophus Abbott's Duiker (C. spadix) · Aders' Duiker (C. adersi) · Bay Duiker (C. dorsalis) · Black Duiker (C. niger) · Black-fronted Duiker (C. nigrifrons) · Blue Duiker (C. monticola) · Harvey's Duiker (C. harveyi) · Jentink's Duiker (C. jentinki) · Maxwell's Duiker (C. maxwellii) · Red Forest Duiker (C. natalensis) · Ogilby's Duiker (C. ogilbyi) · Peters's Duiker (C. callipygus) · Red-flanked Duiker (C. rufilatus) · Ruwenzori Duiker (C. rubidis) · Weyns's Duiker (C. weynsi) · White-bellied Duiker (C. leucogaster) · Yellow-backed Duiker (C. Sylvicultor) · Zebra Duiker (C. zebra) Sylvicapra Common Duiker (S. grimmia) Hippotraginae Hippotragus Roan Antelope (H. equinus) · Sable Antelope (H. niger) Oryx East African Oryx (O. beisa) · Scimitar Oryx (O. dammah) · Gemsbok (O. gazella) · Arabian Oryx (O. leucoryx) Addax Addax (A. nasomaculatus) Reduncinae Kobus Upemba Lechwe (K. anselli) · Waterbuck (K. ellipsiprymnus) · Kob (K. kob) · Lechwe (K. leche) · Nile Lechwe (K. megaceros) · Puku (K. vardonii) Redunca Southern Reedbuck (R. arundinum) · Mountain Reedbuck (R. fulvorufula) · Bohor Reedbuck (R. redunca) Aepycerotinae Aepyceros Impala (A. melampus) Peleinae Pelea Grey Rhebok (P. capreolus) Alcelaphinae Beatragus Hirola (B. hunteri) Damaliscus Korrigum (D. korrigum) · Common Tsessebe (D. lunatus) · Bontebok (D. pygargus) · Bangweulu Tsessebe (D. superstes) Alcelaphus Hartebeest (A. buselaphus) · Red Hartebeest (A. caama) · Lichtenstein's Hartebeest (A. lichtensteinii) Connochaetes Black Wildebeest (C. gnou) · Blue Wildebeest (C. taurinus) Pantholopinae Pantholops Tibetan antelope (P. hodgsonii) Caprinae Large subfamily listed below Bovinae Large subfamily listed below Antilopinae Large subfamily listed below Family Bovidae (subfamily Caprinae) Ammotragus Barbary Sheep (A. lervia) Budorcas Takin (B. taxicolor) Capra Wild goat (C. aegagrus) · West Caucasian Tur (C. caucasia) · East Caucasian Tur (C. cylindricornis) · Markhor (C. falconeri) · Alpine Ibex (C. ibex) · Nubian Ibex (C. nubiana) · Spanish Ibex (C. pyrenaica) · Siberian Ibex (C. sibirica) · Walia Ibex (C. walie) Hemitragus Nilgiri Tahr (H. hylocrius) · Arabian Tahr (H. jayakari) · Himalayan Tahr (H. jemlahicus) Naemorhedus Red Goral (N. baileyi) · Japanese Serow (N. crispus) · Long-tailed Goral (N. caudatus) · Gray Goral (N. goral) · Mainland Serow (N. sumatraensis) · Taiwan Serow (N. swinhoei) Oreamnos Mountain goat (O. americanus) Ovibos Muskox (O. moschatus) Ovis Argali (O. ammon) · Domestic sheep (O. aries) · Bighorn Sheep (O. canadensis) · Dall Sheep (O. dalli) · Mouflon (O. musimon) · Snow sheep (O. nivicola) · Urial (O. orientalis) Pseudois Bharal (P. nayaur) · Dwarf Blue Sheep (P. schaeferi) Rupicapra Pyrenean Chamois (R. pyrenaica) · Chamois (R. rupicapra) Family Bovidae (subfamily Bovinae) Boselaphini Tetracerus Four-horned Antelope (T. quadricornis) Boselaphus Nilgai (B. tragocamelus) Bovini Bubalus Water Buffalo (B. bubalus) · Lowland Anoa (B. depressicornis) · Mountain Anoa (B. quarlesi) · Tamaraw (B. mindorensis) Bos Banteng (B. javanicus) · Gaur (B. gaurus) · Yak (B. mutus) · Cattle (B. taurus) · Kouprey (B. sauveli) Pseudonovibos Kting Voar (P. spiralis) Pseudoryx Saola (P. nghetinhensis) Syncerus African Buffalo (S. caffer) Bison American Bison (B. bison) · Wisent (B. bonasus) Strepsicerotini Tragelaphus Sitatunga (T. spekeii) · Nyala (T. angasii) · Bushbuck (T. scriptus) · Mountain Nyala (T. buxtoni) · Lesser Kudu (T. imberbis) · Greater Kudu (T. strepsiceros) · Bongo (T. eurycerus) Taurotragus Common Eland (T. oryx) · Giant Eland (T. derbianus) Family Bovidae (subfamily Antilopinae) Antilopini Ammodorcas Dibatag (A. clarkei) Antidorcas Springbok (A. marsupialis) Antilope Blackbuck (A. cervicapra) Gazella Mountain Gazelle (G. gazella) · Neumann's Gazelle (G. erlangeri) · Speke's Gazelle (G. spekei) · Dorcas Gazelle (G. dorcas) · Saudi Gazelle (G. saudiya) · Chinkara (G. bennettii) · Thomson's Gazelle (G. thomsonii) · Red-fronted Gazelle (G. rufifrons) · Dama Gazelle (G. dama) · Grant's Gazelle (G. granti) · Soemmerring's Gazelle (G. soemmerringii) · Cuvier's Gazelle (G. cuvieri) · Rhim Gazelle (G. leptoceros) · Goitered Gazelle (G. subgutturosa) Litocranius Gerenuk (L. walleri) Procapra Mongolian gazelle (P. gutturosa) · Goa (P. picticaudata) · Przewalski's Gazelle (P. przewalskii) Saigini Pantholops Tibetan antelope (P. hodgsonii) Saiga Saiga Antelope (S. tatarica) Neotragini Dorcatragus Beira (D. megalotis) Madoqua Günther's Dik-dik (M. guentheri) · Kirk's Dik-dik (M. kirkii) · Silver Dik-dik (M. piacentinii) · Salt's Dik-dik (M. saltiana) Neotragus Bates's Pygmy Antelope (N. batesi) · Suni (N. moschatus) · Royal Antelope (N. pygmaeus) Oreotragus Klipspringer (O. oreotragus) Ourebia Oribi (O. ourebi) Raphicerus Steenbok (R. campestris) · Cape Grysbok (R. melanotis) · Sharpe's Grysbok (R. sharpei) Suborder Suina Suidae Babyrousa Buru Babirusa (B. babyrussa) · North Sulawesi Babirusa (B. celebensis) · Togian Babirusa (B. togeanensis) Hylochoerus Giant forest hog (H. meinertzhageni) Phacochoerus Desert Warthog (P. aethiopicus) · Warthog (P. africanus) Porcula Pygmy Hog (P. salvania) Potamochoerus Bushpig (P. larvatus) · Red River Hog (P. porcus) Sus Palawan Bearded Pig (S. ahoenobarbus) · Bearded Pig (S. barbatus) · Indo-chinese Warty Pig (S. bucculentus) · Visayan Warty Pig (S. cebifrons) · Celebes Warty Pig (S. celebensis) · Flores Warty Pig (S. heureni) · Oliver's Warty Pig (S. oliveri) · Philippine Warty Pig (S. philippensis) · Boar (S. scrofa) · Timor Warty Pig (S. timoriensis) · Javan Pig (S. verrucosus) Tayassuidae Tayassu White-lipped Peccary (T. pecari) Catagonus Chacoan Peccary (C. wagneri) Pecari Collared Peccary (P. tajacu) · Giant Peccary (P. maximus) Suborder Tylopoda Camelidae Lama Llama (L. glama) · Guanaco (L. guanicoe) Vicugna Vicuña (V. vicugna) · Alpaca (V. pacos) Camelus Dromedary (C. dromedarius) · Bactrian Camel (C. bactrianus) Cetartiodactyla (unranked clade, higher than Artiodactyla) Hippopotamidae Hippopotamus Hippopotamus (H. amphibius) Choeropsis Pygmy Hippopotamus (C. liberiensis)

Game animals and shooting in North America Game birds Bobwhite Quail · Chukar · Hungarian Partridge · Prairie Chicken · Mourning Dove · Ring-necked pheasant · Ptarmigan · Ruffed Grouse · Sharp-tailed Grouse · Snipe (Common Snipe) · Spruce Grouse · Turkey · Woodcock Waterfowl Black Duck · Canada Goose · Canvasback · Gadwall · Greater Scaup · Lesser Scaup · Mallard · Northern Pintail · Redhead · Ross's Goose · Snow Goose · Wood Duck Big game Bighorn Sheep · Black Bear · Razorback · Brown Bear · Bison (Buffalo) · Caribou · Cougar (Mountain Lion) · Elk · Moose · White-tailed deer · Gray wolf · Mountain goat · Mule Deer · Pronghorn · Muskox · Dall Sheep · Polar Bear Other quarry American Alligator · Bobcat · Coyote · Fox Squirrel · Gray Fox · Gray Squirrel · Opossum · Rabbit · Raccoon · Red Fox · Snowshoe Hare See also Bear hunting · Big game hunting · Deer hunting · Waterfowl hunting · Wolf hunting · Upland hunting

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