北美野牛
- The American bison can feed from under snow up to 1 meter deep. This allows it to find food even during severe winters.
- The American bison can run and gallop so fast that not every horse can overtake it, and it also swims well.
- Female American bison are significantly smaller than males, which can reach a mass of 1270 kg.
- The American bison once numbered tens of millions but was almost exterminated.
- It can run at up to 55 km/h.
- In captivity they have lived more than 20 years.
- Males clash heads during the rut.
- Bison wallow in dust to get rid of insects.
- The bison has thick fur that protects it from the cold.
- Calves are born reddish.
年龄
The American bison’s typical lifespan ranges from 25 years and 2 months to 41 years and 11 months, although the maximum recorded lifespan is 33 years and 6 months, with a theoretical lifespan between 16 years and 9 months and 33 years and 6 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 1 year and 11 months and 3 years and 2 months of age; its eyes open at birth, and it begins to walk immediately. The embryo develops within the mother and receives nourishment from her. The young, called calves, are in the calf stage, feeding on their mother’s milk and growing rapidly for a duration of 6 to 9 months. Following this, the species enters the adult stage, lasting from 4 to 25 years, during which it lives independently and can reproduce.
表型
The embryo develops within the mother, with all organs forming inside. Young American bison have soft reddish-brown fur that protects them from cold and sun, and small horns just begin to grow. The species’ thick dark fur on the front of the body provides protection from cold and wind, while hooves assist in walking on grass and snow and digging in the ground. Mature bulls possess strong horns used for defense against predators and fighting with other American bison, and a powerful hump composed of muscles supports the heavy head.
生理学
The American bison’s body height ranges from 1.21 to 2.5 meters, and its body length varies from 2 to 3.5 meters; the species' mass can be from 244.35 kilograms to 0.51 metric tons. During the embryo stage, the body mass is between 15 and 35 kilograms. The young have a body mass of 20 to 90 kilograms and a body length of 80 centimeters to 1.5 meters. An adult individual’s body mass ranges from 0.5 to 1 metric ton, with a body length of 2.5 to 3.5 meters.
栖息地
The American bison occupies diverse habitats including temperate mixed forests with warm summers and abundant oak, birch, and maple trees, temperate coniferous forests characterized by cool temperatures and numerous coniferous trees with snow in winter, flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is plentiful grass, temperate steppes with abundant grass and few trees with occasional rainfall, and taiga featuring cold winters and many coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The species also inhabits terrestrial landscapes including highlands and tundra, ground forests, ground meadows, and steppes. The climate varies across its range, encompassing cold steppes that are dry with cold winters and abundant grass and few trees, extremely dry conditions where rainfall is very rare and the environment is nearly desert-like, a climate that is cold and almost dry for most of the year, cool summers with temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius, and consistently very wet conditions with nearly constant rainfall and high humidity. The American bison’s elevation can reach up to 2 kilometers above sea level.
庇护所
The American bison inhabits open spaces and does not have a permanent or long-term shelter. The species utilizes grass and sedge for resting and protection from the sun. There is no fixed shelter used by the animal.
地理
The American bison, also known as the American buffalo, is found within the Nearctic biogeographical region.
食性
The American bison eats grass, sedge, and young plant shoots, grazing almost all day and consuming a large amount of vegetation; its feeding method involves plucking grass. The species’ diet includes grass, sedge, young shrubs, reeds, and cattails, with a grazing strategy employed for obtaining food. Daily food intake ranges from 5 kilograms to 14 kilograms. Young American bison consume milk. Predators such as bears and wolves hunt the species.
繁殖
The American bison, also known as the American buffalo, reproduces through live birth on land, with the young not hatching from eggs or larvae. The gestation period lasts 9 months and 1 week, after which the female gives birth to a single calf. Newborn calves quickly stand and remain close to their mother. Females produce offspring at an interval of 1 to 2 years; a female typically gives birth to one calf after approximately nine months of pregnancy. The species develops on land, outside of bodies of water, in nests built on or near the ground, which are located directly on the surface of the soil. Only the mother exhibits parental care within these ground nests. Maturity is reached from 2 to 5 years of age, and reproduction always occurs through sexual reproduction, involving fertilization without generational changes.