Bison
Last Update 2014
American Bison are the largest mammals native to North America and used to roam the plains of America during the days of Billy The Kid and Wyatt Erp. They have a massive bulky head, stocky neck, and have short legs with a brownish-black coat. Bison eat various grasses but will also eat flowering plants, woody plant leaves and fungi if food is limited. Bison are now thought to be numbered around 500,000 today.
Length: 6 – 11 feet
Shoulder Height: 4 – 6 feet
Weight: 770 – 2200 pounds
Males tend to wander and graze alone or in small bachelor groups while the adult females live with their young in herds. Mating season lasts June to September with peak activity between July and August. Their eyesight is poor but hearing and smell are very well tuned to locating you. Gestation period is 9 ½ months where the cows will normally have their calves from mid-April through June with one calf per year. The bison reaches sexual maturity between the ages of 2 and 3.