Bison

B. antiquus

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

B. bison

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

B. bonasus

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

B. latifrons

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

B. occidentalis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

B. priscus

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bison is a taxonomic genus containing six species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Only two species are still extant—the American and European bisons. There have been hybrids between the American Bison and European Bison (Wisent)

Related Topics:
Even-toed ungulates - Bovinae - American - European

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) is a distinct northern subspecies of North American bison whose original range included much of the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, western Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, and northwestern Saskatchewan. Reduced by hunting from a total population of about 168,000 to less than 250 individuals by 1900, the wood bison has since recovered to a total population of approximately 9,000 individuals, largely as a result of conservation efforts by Canadian government agencies. Although no longer in immediate danger of extinction, the wood bison is still considered "threatened" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Public free-ranging herds in Alberta, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories comprise the majority of existing wood bison, although six smaller public and private captive breeding herds with conservation objectives comprise approximately 10% of the total (n?900). These captive herds and two large free-ranging herds in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, all of which derive from disease-free and morphologically representative founding stock from northern Wood Buffalo National Park, are particularly important for conservation and recovery purposes because the large free-ranging herds in and around Wood Buffalo National Park were infected with bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis when 7,000 plains bison (Bison bison bison) were shipped to the Park from Buffalo National Park (Alberta) by the federal government during the 1920s. This trans-shipment of plains bison also resulted in the hybridization of all known wood bison. Both diseases are still present in the free-ranging herds in and around Wood Buffalo National Park; the diseases represent a serious management issue for governments, various local Aboriginal groups, and the cattle industry (which is rapidly encroaching on the Park's boundaries). Disease management strategies and initiatives began in the 1950s, and have yet to result in a reduction of the incidence of either disease despite considerable expenditure and increased public involvement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bison have been crossed with domestic cattle to produce Beefalo and Cattalo. They have been crossed with the Nepalese Yak to produce Yakalo.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~