The bison lived in cold tundra-steppe and forest-steppe landscapes.
Interesting facts about primitive bison
The steppe bison ate grass, leaves and shoots of bushes.
The massive horns could reach one and a half meters in span.
The primitive bison had few natural enemies, but cave lions could attack even large adult bison.
At the end of the Pleistocene, steppe bison became extinct.
The animals were distinguished by their large sizes: weighing more than 1,000 kg, they reached lengths of up to 3 meters, and heights of up to 2 meters.
How many bison are left in the world
Researchers estimate that at the beginning of the nineteenth century there were thirty to forty million bison in North America; at the end of the century, there were less than a thousand left.
Now the number of bison is about half a million individuals.
As noted in an article in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study demonstrates how important large herbivores are to ecosystems.
What does a bison eat in the wild
Steppe bison feed on grass, and in winter the main food is grassy debris.
Bison can feed in snow cover up to 1 m deep.
Once a day, bison visit watering holes, and only in severe frosts, when thick ice completely covers the water, do they eat snow.
How do bison sleep
Bison sleep at night, but their sleep is short, so they graze almost around the clock.
In general, bison are calm and balanced animals, but when disturbed they can become aggressive.
If the forces are unequal, they run away.
Previously, we talked about interesting facts about capybaras.
