Did you know that the European bison is the last representative of wild cattle in Europe? Discover many fascinating facts about these powerful and majestic animals that until recently were on the brink of extinction.
Did you know that the European bison is the last representative of wild cattle in the European part of the continent? Let’s learn many interesting facts about these powerful and majestic animals that until recently were on the brink of extinction.
Since April 1, 2023, Vostok-Service Group has been cooperating with the Oksky State Nature Biosphere Reserve in the guardianship of the European bison. The Oksky Reserve has become one of the places where Caucasian–Białowieża bison have found safety and protection: here they are cared for, studied, and efforts are made to maintain and increase their numbers, to reintroduce them across the European part of Russia and even to other countries.
In the wild, European bison most often live in groups. A bison herd usually consists of 10-20 individuals, including one adult male, several adult females and calves.
Here is what else we learned about these rare animals:
- Bison communicate with each other by short, muffled grunts, and they snort when threatened. Signs of irritation include loud snorting and frequent licking of the muzzle with the tongue.
- European bison are often confused with American bison due to their similar appearance. These two species can interbreed and produce hybrid offspring — zubro-bisons, which are usually larger than their parents.
- The bison's neck is short but massive: its circumference at the widest part is up to 3 m. Body length is about 3 m, shoulder height about 2 m, tail length 85 cm, including the bushy tuft.
- An adult bison weighs approximately 800-1000 kg (males are larger than females). For such a weight the animal's legs are relatively slender, but they are strong enough to bear the load and move quickly.
- To stay healthy, active and energetic, this massive animal eats about 40-60 kg of plant food and drinks 50 l of water per day. Diet depends on habitat and season. In summer they feed mainly on berries and grass; in autumn — on mushrooms, acorns, wild nuts and foliage. In winter they switch to tree bark, and use their keen sense of smell to find dried grass under the snow. They may also eat snow in winter to make up for a lack of water.
- A female bison's pregnancy lasts 9 months. Most often one calf is born, weighing 19-25 kg. Twins are very rare.
- This even-toed ungulate has never been domesticated, despite living alongside humans.
- The bison has almost no natural enemies. Predators (for example, wolves) may attack only the young, while adult bison are left alone.
- Bison are large but rather shy animals. They flee when they see people.
- Bison were almost exterminated by the beginning of the 20th century, but thanks to the efforts of wildlife conservationists, their population is now stable. It is the only species that has been successfully reintroduced into the wild after population recovery.