A Bison In The Field Near The Woods

Most bison today aren't pure bison; only about 8,000 individuals or 1.6 percent of the species' total population are not hybridized to some degree with cattle. Hybridization, in which domestic cattle are sometimes involved, results in black, brown, or even white bison calves.

Pure bison calves are generally red when they are born, and as they grow, their coat darkens. This process begins after two months and completes at the four-month mark. White calves are albino, leucistic, or true white bison.17

Albino calves lack all pigment and have pink eyes, leucistic have blue eyes, and white bison are simply born with genetically white coats. The true white calves tend to morph colors, just like the typical red calves. White calves are considered sacred by many Indigenous peoples of North America.18

As a keystone species, bison play a vital role in creating and maintaining ecosystem biodiversity.8

 They graze native grasses, their hooves turn up the soil, and their droppings fertilize it. Even the wallowing of bison changes and balances the tall grass prairie's biodiversity by affecting the insect populations.9 Prairie dogs and other animals prefer to live in areas grazed by bison so they can spot predators more easily. One endangered species of butterfly is becoming more abundant since the reintroduction of bison to their range.10 Bison's grazing has created conditions favorable for plants these butterflies use as a food source.

During the 1800s, several factors led to the near extinction of the American bison, with only around 325 remaining in 1884.11 Most commonly cited is the widespread slaughter of buffalo by white settlers. Removal of the Indigenous people's food source, cultural heritage, and trade goods was used as a war tactic. During Westward Expansion, what was once open rangelands was fenced off to roaming bison, restricting their habitats. This continues to limit their recovery today.

Other threats include diseases and drought that leave bison weakened and subject to predation by wolves.12 Yellowstone National Park is the only location in the entire continent where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.13

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