21 April: Bison

Bison (Bison bison) have been kept in Golden Gate Park since 1891, when a small herd was purchased by the park commission, to help conserve them. On this date in 1892, the first bison calf was born there.

1. The bison is the largest mammal in North America. Male bison (bulls) weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females (cows) weigh up to 1,000 pounds and are 4-5 feet tall. Bison calves weigh 30-70 pounds at birth.
2. Their horns can grow to two feet (60cm) in length.
3. What's the difference between a buffalo and a bison? Aside from the fact you can't wash your hands in a buffalo? The words are often used interchangeably - the animal is commonly known both as American buffalo or bison. Its scientific name is bison bison, however. Bison is a Greek word meaning ox-like animal, while the word buffalo came from French fur trappers who called them bœufs, meaning oxen or bullocks.
4. They are not as slow and ungainly as they often look. They can run as fast as 40 mph (64 km/h), and they are also good swimmers.
5. They are actually very dangerous animals, perhaps even more so than bears. In Yellowstone National Park 79 people were injured by bison between 1980 and 1999, while bears only injured 24. Bison will attack people if provoked. Beware of a bison whose tail is standing straight up. That means it's angry and may be getting ready to charge. Although, even if its tail is down, still beware because their moods can change rapidly.
6. Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the USA where bison have continuously lived since prehistoric times. Everywhere else, bison have interbred with cattle but in Yellowstone their DNA is pure bison.
7. A bison’s hump is made of muscle, supported by long vertebrae. It allows them to swing their heads from side-to-side to clear Snow in winter, so they can still eat.
8. Bison eat grasses, weeds and leafy plants and forage for food for 9-11 hours a day.
9. When the calves are born they are orange-red in colour, and so have gained the nickname “red dogs.”
10. The bison is a popular symbol in North America. Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming have adopted the animal as their official state mammal. In Canada, the bison is the official animal of the province of Manitoba and is used in the official coat of arms of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. On May 9, 2016, President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law, officially making the American bison the national mammal of the United States.

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