Bison Fact Sheet Brush up on your bison knowledge Bison: The Basics Male Buffalo vs. Bison Eating 2,000 lbs 5’6” at shoulder Buffalo Bison are grazers. They feed in the morning and at night, eating grasses and sedges. Female • Two main species found in 800-1,000 lbs Africa and Asia How Do They Eat? • Huge sweeping arcs of horns 5’ at shoulder Bison wrap their tongue around a tuft of • Short, thin layer of hair Average life span grass, pinch the grass off between their 15-20 years tongue and lower teeth, and swallow it practically whole. Speed Horns Bison 30-45 mph for • Bison never shed or drop their horns 5 miles Bison • Both cows and bulls have horns Race Horse • Found in North America and • Horns are black & turn grey as bison 40 mph for 1 mile Europe age • Horns begin to emerge just prior to A bison would outrun • Small, cow-like horns a horse with rider. • Very thick coat of hair with a second year pronounced “bear” looping • Horns are used as a weapon Standing Vertical around ribcage • 22-26 inches long Jump • Faster than buffalo • 2.5 feet apart from tip to tip 5-6 feet • Have a large shoulder hump and massive head Herding Behavior • Bison can be found alone or in a herd. • A herd’s social structure is always changing. Visit Midewin National Reproduction Tallgrass Prairie What are Beefalo? Welcome Center • Hybrid of domestic cattle Bison have a gestation period of nine months and one calf is born in April or May. 30239 S. State Route 53 (usually male) with bison Wilmington, IL (usually female) Just minutes after they’re born, calves 815.423.6370 • Physically resemble cattle stand on the ground and within a few hours www.fs.usda.gov/midewin • Created to combine they’re running. Visitors are encouraged to characteristics of both animals Calves are born with their eyes open, weigh stop at the Welcome Center for beef production 25-40 lbs and have a reddish-brown coat for current information, maps and advisories. that turns brown as they age. For more information about the Midewin Experimental Herd of Bison, visit nationalforests.org/midewinbison.