I'll take my wings HOT, thank you very much. The big furry thing we know as a buffalo is actually the American Bison. Bison have a shaggy, dark brown winter coat, and a lighter weight, lighter brown summer coat. Bison can reach up to 6½ fee tall, 10 feet long and weigh 900 to 2,000 pounds. The biggest specimens on record have weighed as much as 2,500 pounds. The heads and forequarters are massive, and both sexes have short, curved horns, which they use in fighting for status within the herd and for defense. Bison mate in August and September; a single reddish-brown calf is born the following spring, and it nurses for a year. Bison are mature at three years of age, and have a life expectancy of 18 to 22 years in the wild and 35 to 40 years in captivity. Bison can jump up to 6 feet high and run up to 40 mph, a fact that comes as a surprise to those familiar with docile domesticated cattle.
One very rare condition results in the white buffalo, where the calf turns entirely white. It is not to be confused with albino, since white bison still possess pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes. White bison are considered sacred by many Native Americans.
Due to its size and the protection afforded by living in a herd, the bison have few enemies besides humans. Grizzly bears and wolves may attempt to attack young calves or subadults, but only in the dead of winter when the herd cannot expend the energy to protect stragglers. A wolf pack can also take down an adult bison, wolves frequently test even the largest bison for weaknesses, usually several wolves may pursue a bison and attempt to bring it down after the bison has succumbed to exhaustion or wounds from the wolves' deadly jaws. The only other threat, other than hunting by humans, that leads to the depletion of wild bison is interbreeding with domestic bovines. In fact, only a small number of bison herds found in North America today are pure breed bison.
Please enjoy your visit to Dauset Trails Nature Center and take the time to enjoy all it has to offer.
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