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K. SLOGGETT7 T H GRADE SCIENCE RESEARCH REPORT

2010

American BisonBison Bison

Bison Information

5 to 6 ½ feet tall at the shoulder

Gestational period is about 9 months long

Babies are called calvesThey run very fast for their

size.Herbivores: grass, herbs,

shrubs, twigs

More Information

Bison live 18-22 years long

They can weigh up to one ton (2,000 pounds).

They have no defense mechanisms.

Native Americans lived in a symbiotic relationship with bison because they used every part of the bison bodies for their needs.

Adaptations

They wallow in mud to protect their skin.

Bison have thick fur to protect them from hot and cold weather.

Snow won’t melt onto their skin because of the thickness of their winter coat.

Environment

Only 551 bison were counted in 1881. Since then, more than 150,000 bison live in North America. Most of those live on private lands. They live on grassland plains.

Endangered?

Bison were considered endangered in the late 1800s because people over-hunted them.

Bison have been cross-bred with cattle, making fewer true bison.

Some bison have roamed from Yellowstone National Park, where they are protected, and are killed by people in Montana. There has been a recent agreement wherein bison are now able to leave the park during the winter without fear of being killed.

Interesting Facts

Bison have poor eyesight, but have a great sense of smell.

Bison can reach up to 35 miles per hour when running.

Females are the leaders of family groups.

Resources

"Bison." Compton's Encyclopedia. 3. Lombard, IL: Success Publishing Company, 2002. Print.

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/bison.phphttp://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=23http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/American-bisonhttp://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=american+bison&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10