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- The American bison is a member of the Bovidae family of ruminants.
- Weight: 900-2,000 poundsDefenders of Wildlife: Bison
- Length: 6.89 to 12.46 feetUniversity of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Bison: Information
- Lifespan: 18-22 years in the wild, 30+ years in captivityDefenders of Wildlife: Bison
- Can run up to 35 miles per hourPBS: [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/buffalo/ American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation
- During the Indian Wars, the US government paid a bounty on buffalo, trying to remove the American Indians' primary food source to force them into surrender or facing starvation.
- There are approximately 500,000 bison in north america currently.
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The Bison is the largest land animal in North America and once ranged from northern Canada to Mexico. Prior to European settlement, there were an estimated 30-200 million bison in North America, but due to aggressive hunting practices, there were only a few thousand bison left near the end of the 19th centuryPBS: [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/buffalo/ American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation.
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'''How the plains indians used the bison'''
The Plains Indians ranged over a geographical area from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada in the north Texas in the south. The Arapaho, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa and Sioux were all nomadic tribes and relied heavily on hunting buffalo. They also lived in portable skin tents (tipis).The Arikara, Mandan, Osage and Pawnee were semi nomadic tribes. They spent part of every year in fixed villages where they raised crops. For the rest of the year they went on hunting trips for buffalo and lived in tipis.
Every part of the buffalo was used. They provided them with food (meat), shelter (buffalo skin tipi covers), clothing (hide robes), fuel (dried buffalo dung), tools (horn spoons and bone hide scrapers), weapons (buffalo hide shields and bow strings) and equipment (ropes and rawhide envelopes for storing food). They also used hoofs to make glue, they turned bones into ornaments and buffalo tails became a fly swish.
It is little wondor why the Native Americans hold the bison as a revered and sacred animal. Their live revolved around this majestic animal and a great deal of the Native American lore involves the bison.
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Not Buffalo
Although the two words are often used interchangably, bison are not buffalo. Bison are more closely related to goats and cattle than to the Asian and African buffalo. Bison can be distinguished from buffalo by their shoulder hump and are heavier and squatter than buffalo.National Park Service: Bison at Wind Cave National Park
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'''Bull Bison fighting for Alpha position in the herd'''
Two adult bull bison fighting for breeding rights to the cows during their rut.
Seldom do these clashes of Thunderbeast result in death or serious injury.
The dominent male truimpts fairly quickly with the weaker Bull backing off.
This insures the stronger are able to pass the best genes on to the betterment of the herd.
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Bison Questions
where can I get some fresh bison near Cedar Park, Texas? 1 AnswerHere is a list where you can find it: http://cedar_park-tx.yellowusa.com/Meat_Products.html http://www.yelp.com/biz/austin-farmers-market-austin Enjoy! read more
Has anyone ever had a bison burger? How do they compare to hamburgers? 3 AnswersI had one not too long ago when I was covering a local fair - the FFA kids were selling bison burgers at the fair to raise money. The burger was three or four b... read more
What are your three favorite National Parks and why? 5 AnswersGrowing up in Colorado availed me of the opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time in several National Parks as well as on Bureau of Land Management (B... read more
Boss strategies - whats your best tactic to defeat a boss in a videogame? 3 AnswersMy strategy is to level up whatever character in an RPG so that I'm over-leveled for the boss to come. For Pokemon, I do the same as @engles and I'm sure a lot ... read more
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Bison Books and Related Merchandise
- National Bison Association: Books About Bison
- Amazon.com: Bison Merchandise
- CafePress: Bison T-Shirts and Gifts
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