Wood Bison
Bison bison athabascae
Last resort
Wood Bisons are the largest land mammals in North America. They even surpass the more well-known Plains Bisons. Mass shooting during the times of European immigrants nearly wiped out both subspecies. Due to conservation breeding in zoological gardens as well as resettlement, several thousand Bisons once again live today in national parks and conservation areas in North America.
Charakteristics
- Origin
North America: Canada, Alaska
- Habitat
northern woodlands
- Diet
Grass, herbs, leaves, bark
- Status
near threatened
- Size
Shoulder height up to 2 m
- Weight
Female up to 600 kg
Male up to 1.000 kg - Gestation period
285 days
- Achievable age
up to 23 years
Threat Categories of IUCN
A nomadic life
As edible vegetation in the wood bison’s natural environment is so sparse, they must travel great distances to find food. Over the course of a year, an individual wood bison will cover an area of land almost twice the size of Berlin.
