PVCC Puma Press

North American Bison once in danger of extinction, now roam in growing numbers on wildlife preserves and national parks
By Victoria Sutton, November 2009
Special to Puma Press

Arizona is home to spectacular flora and fauna. From flat basin deserts to mountainous alpine regions, our incredibly varying ecosystems, biomes and resulting climates make Arizona very unique. We can easily say we are very rich in species and biodiversity.

We are home to creatures large and small and to plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. We house the only poisonous lizard in North America, the Gila monster; we are home to the mighty saguaro cactus; and we are a top migratory Mecca for birds from around the globe.

One particular species that calls Arizona home is also North America’s largest animal, and you may not be aware that a beast so great lives here. At up to 2,500 pounds of muscle and attitude, this animal can be heavier than a polar bear and bull elk combined. A symbol of native cultures, the frontier and of exploration, this great animal is the bison.

North American bison or Bison bison are usually called buffalo; however, they really are not buffalo. While in common language it is acceptable to dub the bison “buffalo,” scientifically, it is not. True buffalo live in Asia and Africa, appear much more cow-like and have short hair and long horns. Bison are related to buffalo in that they are all bovines, but through a loss in translation by settlers in the early 1800s, they were incorrectly called “buffalo” and the synonym has been used since.

Bison are widely recognized by their massive heads and shoulders with almost disproportionate hindquarters as well as by their thick, dark coats. These animals are grazers and browsers and can consume over 30 pounds of forage in a day. They will eat grasses, forbs, some berries and lichens if necessary. They also have great water requirements, consuming up to 20 gallons per day. Bison in captivity can live well into their 20s, but that is rare in wild herds where they can survive up to 15 years.

Bison are not only the largest animal in North America, but they are almost the largest member of the bovine or cow family worldwide. Bison males or bulls can grow to 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 2,500 pounds. The females or cows are smaller and can reach 1,600 pounds. Both bulls and cows have horns although they are larger on the bulls. Their thick coats keep them well protected from most weather conditions.

Despite their massive size, these animals are athletic. Their large heads and chests are useful for many reasons. They can push great amounts of snow aside to consume vegetation underneath, and they can also climb mountainsides with ease. Unlike their cattle relatives, bison are known to jump over 6 foot fences, and they are strong enough to go through nearly any fence they can’t leap over. They can also run over 30 mph. Bison are known for their bold movements and are considered smart as well as stubborn. Confining them is often difficult if not impossible if they don’t want to be confined. They can also be aggressive and will charge at people who get too close to them or their offspring.

Bison form matriarchal herds or herds dominated by one cow. The herd is made up of mostly females and their calves. The bulls tend to join the herd during breeding season, but stay to themselves or with other bulls until then. Generally, there is one dominant bull per herd, and they will spar over breeding rights. Bison breed in September and give birth in April after about nine months of gestation. The calves are red in appearance and look very much like domestic cattle calves. They start to grow their shoulder humps and horns at about two months old. Bison do not have many predators as adults; however, wolves and bears will prey on calves. To protect the calves, bison will form circles around them with their horns outward when threatened.

Bison used to roam the plains of North America from Canada into Mexico, but are now confined mainly to national parks and wildlife refuges. Bison were extremely important to many native cultures and provided meat, leather, skin, fur and even glue. By the late 1800s, the tens of millions of estimated bison were reduced to the hundreds. They were killed by independent fortune seekers for their valuable hides and were also killed to allow ranchers access to land for livestock. The railroad industry killed them to keep them off the tracks and out of the way of railway progress. The military endorsed massive culling to weaken the native tribes that depended on the animals. Through many efforts to restore the herds, beginning in the late 1800s, there are an estimated 350,000 now in North America.

There has been a lot of controversy over the Yellowstone bison in the winter months. They set out to seek food as the snow gets deeper, which brings them outside of the protection of the national park. Cattle ranchers fear that they will spread disease to their livestock and haze or kill them. Many groups have stated that the risk of disease transmission is very low; too many bison have been killed and it is more beneficial to vaccinate the cattle rather than kill and sell the bison.

While some bison are wild in the U.S., the practice of farming them has increased in popularity. There has been more demand for the meat, which is far lower in fat and cholesterol than beef and is higher in protein and other nutrients. Because bison are bovines, the meat is similar in taste and texture. Bison meat is typically packaged as “buffalo.”
Like most of Arizona’s wildlife, bison are protected by law. They are also considered game animals, and limited hunting is permitted under very particular provisions with Arizona Game and Fish. Bison in Arizona are dispersed into two main herds both living on high plains. One herd lives in the Raymond Ranch wildlife area near Flagstaff, and the other is in the House Rock area, located near the Kaibab plateau and Utah border. While these massive yet sometimes aggressive animals are spectacular to see in the wild, they should be observed and enjoyed from a distance. Binoculars are recommended if you set out to find them.