Message about animals bison. What does the bison eat? Belovezhsky bison: photo, description

continent and the last European representative of wild bulls. Its length is 330 cm, its shoulders are up to two meters, and its weight reaches one ton. Like its North American cousin, its coat is dark brown, but in young calves it is reddish. The head is noticeably short, drooping, with a pronounced “beard” and two small horns. The differences between bison and American bison are minor. The bison has a higher hump, different in shape, longer horns and a tail. The bison's head is set higher than that of the bison. The body format of the bison fits into a square, while that of the bison fits into an elongated rectangle, that is, the bison has a longer back and shorter legs. In the hot season, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair, almost bald, while the bison has hair developed all over its body at all times of the year. Both species are approximately the same in size, although the American bison, due to its stockiness, looks more compact and stronger.

Facts from the life of bison

• Body length - 3 m
• Height at withers - 2 m
• Height at rump - 1.6 m
• Weight - 1 ton

• Life expectancy - 23-25 ​​years
• Gon - from mid-July to September
• Gestation period - 9 months
• First calving - at 4 years
• Milk fat content - up to 12%
• Reproduction period:
  • cows - from 3 to 18 years
  • bull - from 5 to 15 years
• Calf weight at birth - 19-25 kg
• 1.5 hours after birth, the calf follows its mother

Spreading

The original habitat of the bison extended from the Iberian Peninsula to Western Siberia and also included England and southern Scandinavia. In this large range, bison inhabited not only forests, but also open areas. It was only because of intense human hunting that the bison became an animal found only in dense forests. The last free-living bison was killed by poachers in Poland, and in the Caucasus - in 1926 in the vicinity of Mount Alous. Today, bison populations evicted from zoos to nature under special programs live in Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine and in the Caucasus in the Caucasian Nature Reserve. On the territory of the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region there is the Prioksko-Terrasny reserve with a unique bison nursery.

Behavior

Bison live in small herds ranging in size from three to twenty animals, consisting mainly of females and young calves. The leader of the bison herd is the female. Males prefer to live alone (solitaries) and join the herd only during the mating season. The manifestations of sexual behavior are limited by heat, frost, and lack of energy, so in bison in captivity (where they are well fed), the rut can begin at any time of the year at a favorable temperature. In natural populations, the rut takes place in August-September. Between competing males, things can lead to fights, which may well end in severe injuries. In winter, individual herds often unite into even larger groups, sometimes including several males. The female's pregnancy lasts 9 months. Between May and July, one cub is born, feeding on mother's milk throughout the year. At the age of four, the bison is considered sexually mature, although earlier or later maturation is possible. Young males, leaving the mother herd, often form herds of young bachelors before gaining enough strength to live alone. The life expectancy of a bison can reach 28 years.

Story

The image of the bison in culture

• Since December 23, 1998, the image of a bison has appeared on the coat of arms and flag of the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region.
• “Song about the bison” is a monument of Belarusian literature.

see also

• Toksovo (bison-bison reserve near St. Petersburg)

Sources

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Bison” is in other dictionaries:

- (Bison) a genus of large bulls, i.e. ruminant mammals of the bovid family (Bovidae) of the order Artiodactyla. Bison are characterized by short and thick, but sharp horns, raised withers, a thick mane and a beard of long hair; V… … Collier's Encyclopedia

bison- stumbrai ir bizonai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas gentis apibrėžtis Gentyje 2 rūšys. Paplitimo arealas – Europa (Baltarusija, Lenkija, Lietuva, Rusija, Ukraine, Kaukazo kalnai), Š. America. atitikmenys: lot. Bison English... ... Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

Genus of bovids. Includes 2 species: European bison and American bison. In the beginning. 20th century Both species were almost completely exterminated, and then measures were taken to restore them. Large, powerful animals weighing 850-1000 kg, high. at the withers approx. 2 m... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

Bison are very large representatives of artiodactyl animals, which once almost disappeared from the face of the earth, but were miraculously saved. Bison belong to the bovid family and are related to various types of wild bulls - buffalo, yak, banteng, gaur. The bison's closest relative is the American bison, with which it is even capable of producing fertile hybrids.

Bison (Bison bonasus).

Outwardly, the bison looks like a typical bull, its large body has a massive chest and withers, but a relatively narrow and skinny croup. The massive head with a wide forehead is crowned with a pair of curved, but not long, horns. The blue-black nose of the bison, like all representatives of the bull subfamily, is not covered with hair. Unlike other wild bulls, the bison's legs look slender and quite high, the belly is tucked in and does not sag, and there is no dewlap (sagging fold of skin) on the chest. The body of the bison is covered with rather short, close-fitting hair, which looks thicker and looser on the neck and crown of the head, and forms long feathering on the underside of the head, neck and chest. In addition to this dewlap, a particularly long tuft of hair resembling a goatee can be discerned on the bison’s chin. The tail ends with a tassel of long hair. In the old days, two subspecies of bison were known - European and Caucasian. The European bison has smooth or slightly wavy hair, while the Caucasian bison, now extinct, had curly hair. The color of bison is brown with a darker almost black beard and a light crown. Sexual dimorphism (the difference between animals of different sexes) comes down to differences in size. Males are more massive, their weight is 850 kg, females weigh no more than 700 kg. Modern bison are smaller than those who lived in the last century; then animals weighing up to 1 ton were known!

Compared to the bison, the bison looks slimmer and taller, the height at the withers reaches 2 m, and the height at the rump is 1.6 m, while the body length can reach up to 3 m.

The bison's range was once very vast and covered almost all of Europe and the Caucasus, but intensive hunting led to the fact that already in the early Middle Ages the bison became a rarity in Western Europe; for example, in France, bison disappeared already in the 11th century. For a long time, their stronghold remained Eastern Europe, which was less populated. But here, too, bison disappeared in many countries by the 17th-13th centuries. The Caucasian bison became extinct at the beginning of the twentieth century. During this period, not a single wild bison remained in nature and the species was considered almost extinct, but captive breeding and subsequent acclimatization made it possible to return this beautiful animal to its natural environment. Now bison live in Poland, Belarus, Western Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Moldova, Spain, Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

A herd of bison in the autumn forest.

The natural habitat of the bison was forests and forest-steppes, but as they were destroyed, the bison were forced out of open spaces into increasingly remote places and eventually survived only in dense mixed and broad-leaved forests. Bison are sedentary animals; they stick to a relatively small area of ​​forest and can only leave it when there is no food. Bison live in small herds of 5-20 animals. The herd consists of females and growing young animals, adult males stay alone. Sometimes young males form separate bachelor groups; in winter, several small herds can unite into one large herd of up to 30-50 animals.

Bison covered with snow. These animals tolerate the cold well; in winter, lack of food is much worse for them.

The herd is led by a leader - an old and experienced female. In the forest, bison behave surprisingly quietly, they move almost silently, and rarely speak. The bison call to each other with short grunts, and in case of danger they snort. Typically, bison move at a walk, walking slowly and leisurely. They graze mainly in the morning and evening, and during the day they lie down and chew cud. But in case of danger, bison can switch to an unexpectedly fast and light gallop, while they still manage to make little noise. While running, they can jump over wide ditches and obstacles up to 2 m high! The leader runs in front of the herd, the calves follow, and the young males bring up the rear of the cavalcade. It must be said that bison hear well and have a sensitive sense of smell, but are myopic. The character of these animals is calm, but if the bison feels in danger, it can go on the attack. There are known cases when bison attacked cars and tractors during resettlement operations, while at the same time, in their usual environment, bison do not attack people. Most often, bison only threaten, making false attacks towards the intended enemy.

Bison especially love branches of linden, willow, ash, hornbeam, oak, raspberry and blueberry.

Bison feed on a variety of vegetation; their diet includes 400 plant species. In summer they prefer lush grass, less often they eat shoots of bushes and tree bark. In autumn, bison love to graze in oak forests and fatten up on acorns. In winter, they look for green parts of plants under the snow, digging it up with their nose. When there is a shortage of their favorite food, bison can eat mushrooms, berries, lichens and pine needles, and also visit feeding areas for hay. One bison eats 40-60 kg of green mass per day; to digest this amount of food, it needs about 50 liters of water per day, so in winter they can eat snow, and in summer they go to water twice a day.

Bison mating fight.

The bison's rut ​​begins in August-September. During this period, males approach the herds, rub against trees, dig the ground with their hooves, and take threatening poses. If the threat has no effect, then the two opponents collide with their foreheads or strike in the side. In skirmishes, males can cause severe injuries to each other. During this period, male bison emit a strong musky odor. Pregnancy lasts 9 months, so females give birth to calves in April-May. Calves are born weighing 22-23 kg and have a fawn coat color. Already 1-1.5 hours after birth, the calf can follow the female, and after 3 weeks it tries plant foods. Bison milk is very fatty (fat content 9-12%) and babies grow quickly. The female feeds them with milk for 5-12 months, but even up to two years the calf remains next to her. Bison reach sexual maturity at 4-6 years of age, and in the wild they live up to 20-25 years (in zoos they can live up to 35).

On a frosty day, a female bison feeds her baby milk. In captivity, the bison's rut ​​can occur at any time; even when released into the wild, such animals can bear offspring all year round.

In nature, bison have very few enemies. For adult animals, only packs of wolves pose a danger, but calves can be hunted by lone wolves, lynxes, leopards, and bears. The main enemy of bison throughout history remains man. In prehistoric times, bison were hunted for their meat, although the quality of these animals was low. The meat of an adult bison is tough and musky, but the meat of calves is juicy and tender. The benefit of hunting the bison was its large size; one animal could provide food for an entire clan. Later, they began to organize gambling hunts for bison for the sake of prestige. Such hunts were carried out throughout Europe by kings and princes, and even later by landowners. It is characteristic that the last Caucasian and European bison were killed precisely by poachers.

A baby bison learns to butt, and an adult bison plays along with it. For the sake of this game, he even went into the pit to be on the same level with the bison.

Fortunately, at that time, 66 animals remained in captivity. Through the efforts of the International Society for the Conservation of Bison, they began to be bred in zoos, then a herd of bison was first released into the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve, and from there the young animals began to be transported to different countries in Europe. In the Caucasus, hybrids of the Caucasian bison and bison were released, which acclimatized and became similar to the purebred Caucasian bison that once lived here. Now the world bison population numbers 3,000 individuals, of which only 1,600-1,700 live in the wild. Bison have never been domesticated in history, but can produce hybrids with bison and livestock (bison). Zubrons are sterile, but are distinguished by their unpretentiousness and high yield of lean meat rich in protein.

Belongs to the genus of bison, the subfamily of bovine bovids, and the order of artiodactyls. They have earned the title of lords of the forests. The history of the presented animal goes back to ancient times and amazes with its drama. The bison, exterminated to a critical minimum, continues to exist in specially created nurseries, zoos, zoological gardens and forest reserves. That is why this species of bison is included in the Red Book. Reserve specialists and private individuals are trying on their own to preserve and save the last individuals of the population. Therefore, today there are few places where the bison lives, but such closed zones exist.

Distinctive features of the animal

The largest representative of land mammals in Europe, the bison is a descendant of the wild bull. During the Middle Ages, this species of animal lived in forest areas from east to west throughout Eurasia. Peculiarities:

1. An adult bison reaches up to 1 ton in weight. But the weight can vary from 700 to 900 kg.
2. 185-190 cm - the height of the beast.
3. The length of the animal reaches 260-340 cm.

Only the female can be smaller.

The bison has a massive front part of the body. There is a small hump that connects the back and short neck. The back of the body is smaller and appears to be compressed.

The tail is up to 85 cm long and covered with soft hair. There is a hair tuft at the end, it looks like a small artist's brush. The bison's legs are strong and strong. The convex front hooves are much smaller than the rear hooves.

The wide forehead is very low. Experts confirm that the tail is much higher than the crown of the animal. The black horns are pushed forward and spread apart. Their length is about 60 cm, while the spread of the horns reaches 80 cm.

Large nature reserves in Russia

Now let's look at where the bison lives in Russia, in which reserves. Since the bison is listed in the Red Book, it is almost impossible to find it in the wild today. But there are a large number of reserves and nurseries in which animals are kept in the most comfortable environment.

In the Prioksko-Terrasny State Biosphere Reserve (Moscow region, Serpukhov district), bison are raised, and subsequently they are sent to various regions of Russia, the CIS and Baltic countries. During the period from its foundation in 1948 to 2009, 328 individuals were bred. Animals are also raised:

1. In the Oksky State Nature Reserve, located in the Ryazan region.
2. In the Cherginsky nursery in Altai.
3. In the Pleistocene Park (Republic of Yakutia).
4. About 50 individuals live in the Klyazminsko-Lukhsky reserve (Vladimir region). Animals live practically in the wild.

Animal behavior in its habitat

The bison begins to move actively after eating. They are adapted to extreme weather conditions. They are not afraid of hot summer temperatures and harsh winters. Thick fur protects them from the cold. In winter, the bison can break through deep snow with its head in order to get vegetation below.

It is difficult to answer where the bison lives, in what natural zone, since their habitat is nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries from the east to the west of Eurasia. Most of the population today is located in Russia, in particular in the Prioksko-Terrasny Biosphere Reserve. In other reserves and sanctuaries the population is much smaller. Animals are exported from Russia to European countries - Poland, Germany, Slovakia, etc. There are two types of bison:

1. Belovezhsky. The animals are larger and have long legs.
2. Caucasian. This species differs only in that it is smaller in size and the coat is more curly.

The behavior of the modern bison is no different from its predecessors who lived hundreds of years ago. He is fast, strong and strong, his main task is to protect his own territories. But due to the popularity of its fur and horns on the black market, the bison was included in the list of endangered species.

What are the differences between bison and bison?

The American bison is practically no different from the bison. There are some assumptions that confirm their relationship. The bison has a rather high hump and also differs in shape; the length of the horns and tail is slightly longer. The bison's body type fits into a square, while that of a bison fits into an elongated rectangle. Such a slight difference may not be immediately noticeable. The bison has a long back and its legs are much shorter.

In hot summer weather, almost the entire back of the bison's body is covered with short hair. From the outside it looks like he is going bald. At the same time, the bison has fur all over its body, regardless of the time of year and weather. Bison and bison are the same in size. But the bison seems more compact and stronger due to its stockiness. The American bison lives where there are most flat areas.

Nature reserves in Europe

Abroad, they are also sensitive to the conservation of this animal species. Many individuals were brought to Europe from nurseries located in Russia and the former countries of the Soviet Union. Today, bison can be found in the following European countries:

1. Ukraine. It was in Kherson in the 30s of the 20th century that several individuals of wild bison were found. It is only thanks to them that the population is restored.
2. Poland.
3. Germany. Zoologist Jan Stolzmann founded the International Society for the Conservation of the Bison in Frankfurt am Main in 1923.
4. Moldova.
5. Slovakia.

Initially, the bison's habitat was located in the territory from the Iberian Peninsula to Western Siberia, with England and Scandinavia included in this list.

Bison nutrition

Where the bison lives, the natural area is filled with greenery. This species feeds on plants - herbaceous and woody. You can find them in a forest clearing or near small rivers. In autumn, they graze mainly on mown fields, eating the remains of grass. Common tree species in the bison diet:

1. Aspen.
2. Acorn.

They eat thin branches from trees along with leaves, and peel off the bark. When answering the question of where the bison lives and in what zone, it is worth noting its favorite places - forest clearings.

In specially built nurseries in summer weather, bison are fed with compound feed several times a day. In winter, hay and succulent food, chopped beets and carrots are added to the diet. Experts have calculated that on average one adult female receives 2 kg of feed, while a bison receives up to 3-4 kg. They are introduced to dry food from two months from birth. Each pen is equipped with salt (lick) and mineral supplements are added to it.

Why is the bison on the verge of extinction?

Wolves and connecting rod bears are a threat to this species. But in most cases the person is to blame. The bison lives in places where poachers can easily pass. Due to cutting down and burning of forests, their habitats were destroyed. Unlimited shooting of animals during the First World War led to the fact that by 1927 there were no wild bison left.

But zoos and private estates have preserved a number of these animals. Breeding bison in parks, forest reserves and zoological gardens has become a targeted activity. After the release of young animals into the wild, the number of bison has increased significantly, and it is likely that its population will soon return to its original value.

Once upon a time, the mighty bison were distributed throughout Europe. However, due to mass poaching and deforestation, these bulls have practically disappeared from the face of the Earth. The skillful actions of biologists and caring people helped preserve the species of European bison. As of 2015, the total bison population in the world was 6,083 individuals.

1. Bison are the largest and heaviest land mammals on the European continent.
2. Adult males weigh about 850 kg; in the 19th-20th centuries, individuals weighing 1200 kg were encountered. Plain Belovezhsk bison are somewhat larger than their mountain relatives living in the Caucasus.
3. Females are significantly smaller in size than males.
4. The characteristic features of the European bison are a hump on the back and a beard at the bottom of the head.
5. Thanks to the discovered fossil remains, it has been proven that the genus of bison (Bison), which includes two modern species - the European bison (Bison bonasus) and the American bison (Bison bison), is a contemporary of mammoths.
6. The bison was first described by Aristotle in the distant IV century BC.
7. Bison live in small herds - from 5 to 20 heads (sometimes up to 30). The herd consists of females and growing young individuals. The bison are led by a leader – an old and experienced female.
   
8. Bison seem clumsy at first glance, but this is not the case at all. They are able to jump over a fence more than 2 meters high. In addition, large bulls run quite quickly, move deftly even on steep slopes, swim well and walk freely through swampy swamps.
9. These animals call each other with short, dull grunts, and in case of danger they snort. Signs of irritation include loud snoring and frequent licking of the muzzle with the tongue.
10. The only enemy of the bison in its natural habitat is the wolf. Female bison and young animals become victims of predators.
11. When attacked by a wolf pack, bison quickly organize an all-round defense, protecting young and weak individuals.
12. The thick skin of the bison, covered with thick fur, helps the animals endure cold winters. Zoologists have not yet observed the death of these bulls from low temperatures.
13. Bison feed exclusively on food of plant origin.
14. 350 species of herbaceous plants, as well as about 50 species of trees and shrubs, are suitable for feeding bulls.
15. Pregnancy in a female bison lasts 9 months.
16. Only one bison is born, with rare exceptions – two. The newborn weighs about 25 kilograms. A few hours after birth, he can already walk.
17. The fur of baby bison has a reddish tint, but over time it darkens and turns brown.
    
18. Bison are large animals, but quite shy. When they see a person they run away.
19. These animals have poorly developed vision; they cannot examine an object of interest from afar, and therefore try to get closer. Such actions are often assessed by a person as a bison’s readiness to attack.
20. In the wild, powerful bison live up to 25-28 years. Moreover, females live about 10 years longer than males. The registered life expectancy record for a female bison is 30 years, for a male – 23 years.
21. Bison are the only species of large wild bulls that have survived in Europe.
22. The closest relative of the bison is the American bison.
23. At the beginning of the 20th century, the species Bison bonasus was on the verge of extinction. Absolutely all bison living today were born from several animals born in nature reserves and zoos.
24. Most plains bison alive today are descended from a single male, and 90% of their genes come from just two animals.
25. The subspecies Caucasian bison (another name is Dombay), which today lives in the territory of the Caucasus reserves, is a bison. He was born thanks to the selection of the last purebred Caucasian bison with a Belovezhskaya female.
26. The main reasons for the disappearance of bison are poaching and environmental pollution.
27. The largest bison reserve on our planet, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, covers the territory of two countries - Belarus and Poland. The largest herd of bison in Europe lives there - 700 heads.
28. These animals are a symbol of Belarus, and therefore there is a special attitude towards them. It is noteworthy that in the middle of the 20th century, not a single European bison remained in the forests of the biosphere reserve. The return of bison to these places began only in 1929.
29. In nature reserves, bison do not get along well with other animals, especially large herbivores. In Belovezhskaya Pushcha, corpses of killed deer, elk, and horses were found near bull feeders.
30. In 1923, biologists first conducted a census of all bison in zoos and nurseries.
31. In order to update the gene pool, European bison are crossed with American bison. As a result, viable bison are born that are capable of procreation.
    
32. In Poland, pedigree and breeding books are published annually, which indicate in which country how many bison live.
33. In ancient times, some peoples worshiped these ungulates, identifying them with the symbol of their native land.
34. The tribes of North America believe that the birth of a bison with white fur will definitely bring prosperity to the area where the bull was born.
35. The image of a bison is a worldwide symbol of the environmental movement for the conservation of endangered and rare species of animals.
36. Throughout the history of their existence, these bulls were never domesticated.
37. The bison is the only species in the world that has been returned to the wild after being completely exterminated by poachers.

Today, bison seem like some kind of fantastic creatures from the past. Their population has been on the verge of extinction in recent years, but humanity took timely measures to preserve bison on our planet. Report on the topic “Bison” will tell you about these beautiful animals.

Report on the bison

General information about the bison

Bison are fairly large artiodactyl animals. They belong to the bovid family. It is related to such species of bulls as yak, buffalo, banteng, and gaur. The closest relative of the bison is the American bison.

The first written mentions of the bison date back to the 3rd century. BC, and the oldest fossil remains date back to the Pliocene - about 1.5 million years ago. In the old days, many peoples worshiped the bison, because it acted as a symbol of their native land.

Today the bison is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Bison habitat

Once upon a time, bison lived in almost all of Europe and the Caucasus, but hunting for these animals led to a decrease in the population. For example, in the 11th century they completely disappeared from France and became a rare occurrence in Western Europe.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Caucasian species of bison became completely extinct, and not a single species of animal remained in the natural environment; it began to be considered extinct, being only in captivity.

Only for the sake of saving it as a species, thanks to acclimatization, the bison population is gradually increasing. Currently, bison can be found in Moldova, Western Ukraine, Poland, Spain, Belarus, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary.

Appearance of the bison

The appearance of a bison is practically no different from the appearance of a typical bull. He has a massive chest and withers, a narrow and skinny croup. The head is massive, wide forehead and on the head there are a pair of short, curved horns. The nose is blue-black, like other bull representatives, and not covered with hair. The bison's legs are quite slender and quite high, the stomach does not sag, and there is no dewlap on the chest. The body of the animal is covered with short and close-lying hair. On the tail there is a tuft of long hair.

Males reach a weight of 850 kg, and females weigh up to 700 kg. Interestingly, modern bison are much smaller than those that lived in past centuries, when the animals were more than 1 ton!

What do bison eat?

Bison feed on vegetation, and their diet is varied, about 400 types of vegetation. In summer, they preferentially feed on lush grass; they feed less often on shoots of bushes and tree bark. In autumn, animals prefer to eat acorns. In winter, under the snow, they look for green remains of plants, digging them out with their nose. If their favorite food is not enough, then bison can eat berries, mushrooms, pine needles and lichens.

In one day, one bison can eat up to 40-60 kg of green mass and drink 50 liters of water; in winter, animals can eat snow.

How to save bison?

The bison is a symbol of the environmental movement to preserve endangered and rare species of animals. This is the only animal in the world that was originally preserved only in captivity, and today it is quite successfully returning to its natural environment.

Only man is to blame for the disappearance of the bison in nature - poaching, burning and deforestation, and shooting of bison during periods of wars and revolutions led to their complete extermination in the wild.

According to statistics for 1927, there were 48 bison left in the world and only in captivity. Only thanks to nurseries and zoological gardens were bison saved from complete extinction. Today the population of these animals is about 4,500 heads. The world's largest bison reserve is the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve, Belarus.

1. Bison have never been domesticated in history, but they can produce hybrids with bison and livestock - bison. Zubrons, of course, are sterile, but are quite unpretentious and have lean meat rich in protein.

2. In the natural environment, the bison lives up to 25 years.

3. Animals can jump over obstacles up to 2 meters high.

4. In our time, there is only one species of bison; the other two (European and Caucasian) were completely exterminated.

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