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Bison

The bison is the largest land animal in the Canadian northwest. Bison can weigh more than a ton and stand up to 2 meters tall. Inhabiting the northeastern regions of British Columbia and the southwest regions of the Northwest Territories, bison originated in Asia and came to North America during the Pleistocene ice age over 300,000 years ago. The North American bison, mistakenly called “buffalo” by the early settlers, evolved into two subspecies: the wood bison and the plains bison. 

 

Wood bison are slightly larger and darker than the plains bison. Their heads and forequarters are covered with shaggy chocolate-brown hair that is shorter and lighter behind the shoulders. Wood bison have long tails that have a small tuff of hair at the tip. Bison appear to carry their heads quite low because of their beards and shoulder humps. Both the male and female bison have short, round, black horns that curve upwards.

 

A bison’s diet consists almost entirely of grass, but will also include shrubs, lichens and twigs. Bison herds are extremely aware of their environments and can distinguish smells from several kilometers away.