American Bison...

As usual here is the photograph now I don't know what to type in. This buffalo was photographed at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center I mentioned in the grizzly post two days ago.

Since I already told you about the Conservation Center how about a little history of the American Bison also known as buffalo to most people. Of course I learned to refer to this great creature as Tatonka. Bison can reach up to 6.6 feet tall, 10 feet long and and weigh 900 to 2,000 pounds. Bison have a shaggy, dark brown winter coat, and a lighter weight, lighter brown summer coat. 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 approximately 15 years in the wild and up to 25 years in captivity. One very rare condition is 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. That is enough about bison at for now, maybe when I finally get out back and shoot some of those Buffalo I will post more information on them.