European bison
- Class: Mammals (Mammalia)
- Order: Even-toed ungulates
- Family: Bovids (Bovidae)
- Genus: Bison
- Ar: Species: Bison bonasus
Size
The European bison, or wisent, is the largest and heaviest land mammal in Europe. The bull weighs 800 to 1000 kg, and the cow between 500 and 600 kg.
Ecology
European bison are closely related to their American counterparts, and live in dense coniferous forests of eastern Europe.
In winter the bison congregates in herds of 5 to 30 animals, and in spring they disperse into two discreet groups consisting of adult bulls and cows with calves respectively. During mating season bulls travel between groups in search for cows that are in estrus, i.e. receptive to breeding. This is a time when violent competitive fights erupt amongst the bulls.
Food habits
The bison eats grasses, herbs, lichens, mosses, bark and shrubs.
Longevity
The bison lives for 20 to 24 years in the wild.
Reproduction
The gestation period is 8 to 9 months, and the cow gives birth to one or two calves.
Conservation status
Following the most recent ice age the European bison populated large parts of the continent, including Sweden. In the early 1900s last of the wild European bison were being killed by poachers, and almost immediately captive breeding programmes were instituted with zoo animals from German, Polish and Swedish zoos (Skansen in Stockholm and Avesta Jernverk). These first animals were released in Poland and areas that were once the former Soviet Union in the 1950s. Herds have since increased, and due to the animals’ low natural mortality rates, culling has become a method of controlling their numbers. The management of herds is regarded as being of greater importance than the growth of bison numbers.
IUCN Threat Category:
Endangered.
