Welcome to
Buffalo Views!
The scientific name for the buffalo is Bison. The
terms bison and buffalo are used interchangeably
today. Centuries ago the first buffalo herds came
to North America over a land bridge that existed
from Asia. The native Indian population shared the
prairies well with the buffalo for hundreds of
years. The Indians, who call the buffalo “tatanka”,
depended on the buffalo for meat and hides used in
clothing and lodging. The Indians used almost every
part of the animal to survive. Except for man,
bears, and mountain lion, bison herds had little to
fear from other animals. Wolves could be a threat
to young or sick buffalo. Fires raging across the
prairie grasslands, natural illness, and river
drowning kept the herd population in proportion to
their environment. Buffalo live mostly on assorted
prairie grass. The buffalo are the biggest mammal
in the United States and Canada. Buffalo have brown
fur and hooves. The male bulls can weigh up to a
ton. Bison bulls have horns they never shed. The
female buffalo is smaller and can weigh over a
thousand pounds. This animal can appear slow and
sluggish, but can run over thirty miles an hour
when threatened. More people have been killed in
Yellowstone National Park by buffalo than by bear.
Buffalo cows can start having calves at about age
three. Most calves are born in the spring and early
summer. Buffalo calves stay with their mother for
almost a year or until another newborn takes its
place. A young buffalo is still considered a calf
until about age seven. Buffalo hear and smell very
well, but do not have good vision. The appearance
of hunters from the East with their guns in the
1800’s nearly wiped out the wild buffalo herds.
Hundreds of thousands were shot for their hides or
tongues. Their massive carcasses were often wasted
and left to rot in the prairie sun. Only a federal
law to protect the buffalo, and the efforts of
dedicated ranchers and conservationists, has kept
the buffalo from becoming extinct. Today Theodore
Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota maintains a
buffalo herd of several hundred. Yellowstone National Park
sustains the only perpetual wild buffalo herd
in the United States. Commercial buffalo
herds, prized for their lean meat, is a
growing industry.
